Arizona State Retirement System Purchases 2,958 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Arizona State Retirement System increased its Applied Materials position by 1.4%, buying 2,958 shares to hold 220,211 shares valued at approximately $159.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Company insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Gary Dickerson’s sale of 71,727 shares for about $42.6 million. Insiders sold 231,692 shares worth roughly $146.1 million over the past 90 days.
• Applied Materials reported quarterly earnings of $3.50 per share and revenue of $9.12 billion, exceeding analyst estimates. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $658.45.

Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 220,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,958 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 0.8% of Arizona State Retirement System's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $159,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,589,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $4,005,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,082,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 183.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,990 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Gary Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Prabu Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 231,692 shares of company stock worth $146,114,059. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $658.45.

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $18.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $472.79. 6,301,680 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,119,141. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $528.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $462.00. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $161.75 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

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.

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