Baker Chad R Has $4.30 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Baker Chad R increased its position in Applied Materials by 76.6% in Q4 to 16,530 shares, worth about $4.30 million after adding 7,170 shares.
• Multiple analysts have upgraded AMAT and lifted price targets (some to $400–$450), leaving a MarketBeat consensus of a Moderate Buy with a $363.46 target.
• Applied beat EPS estimates ($2.38 vs. $2.21) though revenue was down 2.1% YoY, raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, and has seen recent share volatility (down ~8.3%).

Baker Chad R grew its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 76.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 7,170 shares during the quarter. Baker Chad R's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Kathmere Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $317,000. Norden Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 12,108 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,112,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 2,258 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $411,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Susquehanna raised shares of Applied Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $363.46.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record DRAM equipment revenue, introduced new tools for advanced nodes and the board approved a 15% quarterly dividend increase — fundamentals that support mid/long-term demand tied to AI chip buildouts. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.7% After Record DRAM Tools, Dividend Hike And AI Supply-Chain Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary point to rising demand for HBM (high-bandwidth memory) and advanced packaging as potential accelerants for AMAT’s revenue growth tied to AI and high-performance compute. Can HBM and Packaging Demand Accelerate AMAT's Revenue Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Improving wafer‑fab spending visibility and ongoing AI-driven chip demand have supported recent rallies and underpin medium-term order momentum. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. industrial policy and large-scale supply-chain initiatives for semiconductors add another tailwind for equipment suppliers like AMAT. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative valuation and competitor positioning are under active debate (ASML vs AMAT); analysts still rate both highly but highlight different risk/reward profiles tied to technology moat and pricing. ASML vs. Applied Materials (AMAT): Which Chip Equipment Stock Offers Better Value in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/ETF flow commentary notes that tech earnings are improving but some ETFs (and share prices) lag underlying fundamentals — a signal that rotation or passive flows could mute upside. As Tech Earnings Grow, This ETF Still Hasn't Caught Up (AMAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group moved AMAT to a "hold" — a mild change in street positioning that may temper near-term momentum but is not a strong negative read. Zacks: Erste Group Bank AG Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide weakness hit multiple chip-equipment and chipmaker names today, and AMAT’s share decline appears driven largely by that broad pullback and profit-taking after recent gains. Teradyne, Applied Materials, Intel, KLA Corporation, and Semtech shares plummet, what you need to know
• Negative Sentiment: Despite an earnings beat, AMAT’s revenue was slightly down year-over-year in the last quarter and the shares carry a premium multiple that can amplify downside during market rotations. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Applied Materials (AMAT): Should You Buy?

Applied Materials Trading Down 8.3%

AMAT opened at $338.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.99. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $395.95. The company has a market cap of $268.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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