Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd cut its Applied Materials stake by 95.5% in the second quarter, selling 15,331 shares and retaining 720 shares worth approximately $521,000. Institutional investors still own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $3.50 per share and revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with 27 analysts rating the stock a Buy and an average price target of $658.45, though recent semiconductor-sector weakness and insider selling pose potential risks.

WINTON GROUP Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 95.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 720 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 15,331 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.7%

AMAT stock opened at $421.17 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $507.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.08. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $171.58 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $334.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.31, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.60.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. 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 note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $683.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $658.45.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services (AGS) division generated record revenue of $1.78 billion. Rising demand for semiconductor-fab services could provide a recurring-growth cushion and support results beyond 2026. Can Applied Materials Sustain Strong AGS Growth Beyond 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to identify AMAT as a potentially attractive technology stock, citing substantial upside potential. The company’s latest quarterly results also showed stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue, alongside robust year-over-year growth. 3 Strong Buy Tech Stocks with 60%+ Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with Lam Research, Qualcomm, and ASML highlight Applied Materials’ exposure to the same AI-driven semiconductor investment cycle, but also raise questions about which equipment suppliers will benefit most as advanced-node and EUV adoption expands. Lam Research Vs. Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: The primary catalyst for the decline was a broad semiconductor selloff after prominent AI executives called for a more deliberate pace of frontier-model development and stronger safety oversight. Investors feared that slower AI progress could eventually reduce data-center expansion, chip demand, and fab-equipment orders. Chip Equipment Stocks Slide as AI Pacing Call Reaches Fab Spending
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT had delivered a very strong prior-year gain and remains well below its recent high, leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking and valuation compression. The latest decline occurred despite no reported earnings shock, suggesting that elevated expectations—not current fundamentals—are driving much of the pressure. Applied Materials Stock Already Fell Without a Shock

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 96,821 shares of company stock valued at $65,944,771 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.

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