Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 25% by selling 228,538 shares, leaving them with approximately 684,222 shares valued at $97.8 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Applied Materials, with highlights including Brighton Jones LLC and Deutsche Bank AG boosting their positions by 28% and 8.9%, respectively.
• Applied Materials recently declared a dividend of $0.46 per share, representing a 1.2% yield, and reported a quarterly EPS of $2.48, exceeding analyst expectations.

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 25.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 684,222 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 228,538 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.08% of Applied Materials worth $97,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $162.26. The company had a trading volume of 3,992,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,376,757. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $129.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $215.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.