BDF Gestion Lowers Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• BDF Gestion reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 9.8%, holding 19,363 shares valued at approximately $3.54 million after selling 2,110 shares in the 2nd quarter.
• Applied Materials reported a $2.48 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with revenues of $7.30 billion, reflecting a 7.7% year-over-year increase.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 21.93%.

BDF Gestion lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,110 shares during the period. BDF Gestion's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Shelton Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Shelton Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors raised its position in Applied Materials by 2.5% in the first quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% during the first quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% in the first quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.2% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.92.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $190.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $176.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $215.70. The firm has a market cap of $151.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.77.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The business's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.93%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

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