Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Boosted by Trek Financial LLC

Key Points

• Trek Financial LLC sharply increased its Applied Materials stake by 327.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 13,588 shares valued at about $3.49 million. Other institutional investors also added to positions, and institutions now own 80.56% of the stock.
• Applied Materials reported solid quarterly results, posting $2.38 EPS and $7.01 billion in revenue, both ahead of analyst expectations. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS at $2.44 to $2.84.
• Sentiment remains positive ahead of earnings and long-term growth themes, with a new TSMC partnership to accelerate AI scaling and multiple analysts raising price targets, including Cantor Fitzgerald lifting its target to $550. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.

Trek Financial LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 327.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,588 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 10,410 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a new partnership with TSMC at its EPIC Center to accelerate AI scaling, strengthening the company’s role in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing and supporting long-term growth expectations. Applied Materials and TSMC Partner at the EPIC Center to Accelerate AI Scaling
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials (AMAT) to $550 from $500 and maintained an overweight rating, signaling higher upside confidence ahead of earnings. Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT Price Target Raised to $550.00 at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews highlighted Applied Materials as a momentum name heading into quarterly results, citing AI-driven demand, high-bandwidth memory traction, and advanced packaging strength that could support another solid report. AMAT to Post Q2 Earnings: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on the upcoming earnings release, with traders expecting a potentially large post-earnings move and the stock already near recent highs, which raises the stakes for guidance and margin commentary. Here's How Much Traders Expect Applied Materials Stock to Move After Earnings

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $431.20 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $153.47 and a one year high of $448.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $374.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $315.66. The stock has a market cap of $342.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.14, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $384.52.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.