Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Syntax Research Inc.

Key Points

• Syntax Research cut its Applied Materials stake by 91% in the second quarter, selling 5,000 shares and retaining 492 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.50 and revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year. AI-driven semiconductor equipment demand and raised analyst estimates support the outlook, though valuation and recent share-price weakness remain concerns.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, equivalent to $2.12 annually and a 0.5% yield. Insiders sold approximately $146.1 million of stock over the past 90 days, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $658.45.

Syntax Research Inc. cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 91.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 492 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.3% during the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.6%

Applied Materials stock opened at $435.91 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $536.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $460.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $345.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting demand for Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment, particularly in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Accelerating global fab investment could sustain growth in wafer-fabrication equipment. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised their Applied Materials earnings expectations, including an increase to the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate. UBS also reportedly sees meaningful potential appreciation, reinforcing the bullish outlook for the stock. FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s forecast was raised twice between February and August. Investors have re-rated AMAT based on improving forward expectations, even though trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple on Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: The semiconductor wafer-inspection market is expected to expand through 2035, driven by AI, electric vehicles, advanced nodes and advanced packaging. This supports Applied Materials’ long-term addressable market but does not necessarily provide an immediate earnings catalyst. Semiconductor Wafer Inspection Equipment Market Outlook 2025-2035
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main pressure point. After a roughly 237% five-year gain and a major year-to-date advance, investors may be demanding increasingly strong results to justify AMAT’s premium multiple. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent decline despite record revenue and above-consensus guidance suggests that expectations, profit-taking and concerns about the semiconductor cycle are outweighing the positive operating news. Applied Materials Just Dropped 14% in a Month. Sell Now, or Buy More?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 231,692 shares of company stock worth $146,114,059 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AMAT. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Craig Hallum raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $658.45.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials' offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.

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