Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Raises Position

Key Points

• WealthPlan Investment Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 14.3% in the third quarter to 22,689 shares valued at approximately $11.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials shares fell 4.1% to $428.41 amid concerns that the company’s 2030 guidance and planned $5 billion EPIC Center investment lacked clarity, alongside broader profit-taking in semiconductor stocks.
• Despite the pressure, the company reported quarterly revenue growth of 24.8% and an earnings beat, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $637.14. AMAT also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,689 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 2,834 shares during the quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. SBE LLC DBA Cedar Cove Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.1% during the third quarter. SBE LLC DBA Cedar Cove Wealth Partners now owns 1,389 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $710,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 46.4% during the third quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. KG Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. KG Capital Management now owns 1,307 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 24.0% in the third quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 997 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $510,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 22,417 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $11,464,000 after acquiring an additional 5,494 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its EPIC Center, a planned semiconductor research and development hub involving Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The facility is intended to accelerate chip innovation and could strengthen AMAT’s strategic position as AI drives demand for more advanced manufacturing. Applied Materials Unveils $5 Billion EPIC Center for Semiconductor R&D
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Ventures invested in Flexcompute’s Physics World Model AI platform, supporting faster and more accurate semiconductor design and materials simulations. The initiative could improve chip-development efficiency and create longer-term opportunities for Applied Materials. Applied Materials Backs AI Physics Modeling Push
• Positive Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and assigned a $600 price target, while other analyst commentary cited positive earnings-estimate revisions and potential upside. Investors are also weighing AMAT’s history of earnings beats and strong demand for AI-related wafer-fabrication equipment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Thirty-one exchange-traded funds added AMAT shares on October 13, indicating continued institutional exposure, although the purchases have not offset the recent selling pressure. 31 ETFs Add to Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: The main catalyst for the selloff was investor-day guidance that some investors viewed as uncertain or insufficiently ambitious for 2030. Concerns included the lack of clearer near-term financial targets and questions surrounding the stated $5 billion EPIC Center investment. Why Applied Materials Sank Today
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was also pressured by profit-taking across semiconductor-equipment stocks after a powerful AI-driven rally. Weakness in chip shares, including a sharp decline in South Korea’s KOSPI, intensified the sector-wide risk-off move. Semiconductor Equipment Stocks Slide

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.1%

Applied Materials stock traded down $18.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $428.41. The stock had a trading volume of 5,530,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,854,423. The company has a market cap of $339.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business's 50 day moving average price is $485.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $484.96. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. The company's revenue 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Materials from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $637.14.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company's offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.

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