Arax Advisory Partners Decreases Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Arax Advisory Partners cut its Applied Materials stake by 50.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,432 shares and leaving it with 13,357 shares valued at about $3.43 million.
• Wall Street remains constructive on AMAT, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock holding a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 27 Buy and 8 Hold ratings.
• Applied Materials posted strong quarterly results and upbeat guidance, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while recent analyst commentary and investor interest continue to highlight the company as an AI and semiconductor equipment beneficiary.

Arax Advisory Partners lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 50.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,357 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 13,432 shares during the quarter. Arax Advisory Partners' holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Tradition Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,178,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $483.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $567.25 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $427.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $353.48. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $569.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Applied Materials 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.

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