Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Holdings Decreased by Modera Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Modera Wealth Management trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 5.4% in the first quarter, selling 2,244 shares and leaving it with 39,328 shares valued at about $13.44 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: multiple firms raised price targets recently, and the stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target of $593.84.
• Applied Materials posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while also issuing a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share; however, insider selling and a broader semiconductor selloff have added some near-term pressure.

Modera Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,328 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,244 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $13,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $593.84.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the company’s growth outlook and AI-driven demand. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO comments reinforcing the AI investment thesis may help support longer-term sentiment around the stock. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that AMAT has been drawing increased attention from investors, but the piece was mainly a stock-screening update rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary suggested Applied Materials may be trading above fair value after a strong multi-year run, which could limit upside even if earnings remain solid. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: A broad semiconductor selloff is pressuring AMAT along with peers like AMD and Intel, as the market rotates out of chip stocks and into other areas. Article link

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $529.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $533.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $413.05. The firm has a market cap of $420.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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