Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Sells 2,901 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC cut its stake in Applied Materials by 22.6%, selling 2,901 shares and retaining 9,931 shares worth about $2.55M.
• Company insiders have been net sellers — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares (~$1.81M) and insiders disposed of 12,003 shares totaling roughly $4.48M over the past three months, leaving insider ownership at 0.30%.
• Applied beat quarterly EPS and revenue, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53, and set Q2 guidance, but the stock is down ~5.9% amid semiconductor-sector headwinds (including U.S. export restrictions to China); analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $368.29 price target.

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC cut its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 22.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,931 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,901 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley expresses a more optimistic outlook for semiconductor capital spending and is bullish on Applied’s positioning, providing a near-term analyst tailwind that could support the stock if capex demand reaccelerates. B. Riley Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT); Sees Better Outlook for Semiconductor Capital Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnership news — Advantest joining Applied’s EPIC platform and opening an Innovation Center — strengthens Applied’s ecosystem play across front-end process and back-end test, a structural positive for long-term revenue and differentiation. Is Advantest’s EPIC Tie-Up Reshaping the Long-Term Investment Case for Applied Materials (AMAT)?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker commentary remains generally constructive (average brokerage recommendations and a recent Erste upgrade), which supports conviction among longer-term investors even as headlines create volatility. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Commerce Department ordered chip-equipment firms to halt some shipments to China’s Hua Hong, and Applied was among companies receiving restriction letters — a direct near-term revenue risk for tools sales into China. U.S. halts chip equipment shipments to China's Hua Hong
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sell-off (spurred by reports that OpenAI missed growth targets and sector rotation) is weighing on AMAT alongside peers, amplifying volatility and driving short-term downside. What Is Going On With Applied Materials Stock On Tuesday?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: Middle East tensions pushed oil higher and contributed to risk-off trading that pressured tech and chip stocks broadly. US Equity Markets End Lower as Chipmakers Slide, Middle East Tensions Lift Oil

Applied Materials Trading Down 5.9%

Applied Materials stock opened at $381.17 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $367.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.78. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.71 and a 12 month high of $420.50. The company has a market capitalization of $302.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.29.

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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