B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Reduces Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its stake by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,565 shares and leaving it with 151,184 AMAT shares valued at about $38.9 million.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers recently — notable disposals include CAO Adam Sanders and Director Judy Bruner, with insiders offloading 12,003 shares worth $4.48 million over the last quarter (insiders now own 0.30% of the stock).
• Fundamentals and outlook remain mixed: Applied beat quarterly EPS and revenue, set Q2 guidance and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53, while strategic partnerships (Advantest EPIC, Tesla Terafab) could boost demand even as analysts call the stock a "Moderate Buy" and flag stretched valuation and regulatory export‑control risk.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 151,184 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 17,565 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $38,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.29.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $403.48 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $363.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $298.99. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.74 and a twelve month high of $407.29. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $320.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.30, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.64.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied announced that Advantest will join its EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) platform as an innovation partner, co‑locating an Advantest center with Applied’s EPIC campus to speed front‑end to back‑end integration for next‑gen chips — a strategic R&D tie-up that can drive future equipment demand and strengthen AMAT’s ecosystem position. Applied Materials Announces Advantest as Innovation Partner for EPIC Platform in Silicon Valley
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT joined Tesla’s Terafab project, which could translate into meaningful incremental orders if the initiative advances to production — a potential revenue upside tied to next‑generation fab builds. Applied Materials Just Joined the Tesla Terafab Project. Does That Make AMAT Stock a Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlights Jim Cramer mentioning AMAT among his stock calls — a visibility boost that can help sentiment but doesn’t change fundamentals. Monitor whether retail flows driven by such mentions persist. Jim Cramer’s 17 Stock Calls: Applied Materials and CoreWeave
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis notes AMAT is deepening test‑to‑fab linkages (via EPIC/Advantest) but flags a stretched valuation — this is a mixed signal: strong strategic positioning offset by higher expectations already priced in. Watch guidance and order flow for confirmation. Applied Materials Deepens Chip Test Links As Valuation Looks Stretched
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Micron is pushing U.S. lawmakers to tighten export controls on chipmaking tools (MATCH Act), which would pressure suppliers to Chinese fabs — potential headwind for AMAT if new curbs or compliance costs limit sales to certain customers. This is a policy risk to monitor for order exposure and geographic revenue mix. Micron pushes US Congress to crack down on chip tool sales to Chinese rivals, sources say

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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