Ascentis Independent Advisors Acquires New Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors opened a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter, buying 1,831 shares valued at about $626,000.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above analyst forecasts. The company also issued Q3 2026 EPS guidance of $3.16 to $3.56.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus. Meanwhile, insiders have been selling shares, including CEO Gary E. Dickerson and SVP Timothy M. Deane.

Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,831 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $626,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors raised its position in Applied Materials by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $21,149,000 after buying an additional 3,508 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $1,082,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.9%

AMAT stock opened at $570.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company's 50-day moving average price is $509.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $398.54. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $452.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $573.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop around the stock. Susquehanna Raises Price Target on Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Applied Materials’ advanced packaging opportunity, noting management’s goal of more than 50% packaging revenue growth in 2026 as AI demand drives HBM, 3D chiplet stacking, and next-generation packaging demand. Can AMAT's Advanced Packaging Drive Its Next Growth Phase?
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled SENZ to speed development of AI smart glasses, reinforcing the company’s exposure to emerging AI hardware markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Unveils SENZ To Speed AI Smart Glasses Development
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was also named among Zacks’ top momentum stocks, suggesting technical strength and continued investor interest. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for July 7th
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as a high-quality but volatile stock, with recent selling tied to a broader semiconductor and memory-stock downturn rather than company-specific weakness. Every Memory Stock Is Now in a Bear Market: Is Micron, SanDisk, or Applied Materials the Best Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was caught in an industry-wide chip selloff after weaker sentiment across memory names and a broader tech pullback, which pressured the stock earlier in the week. What Is Going on With Applied Materials Stock on Tuesday?

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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