Beech Hill Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Beech Hill Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 27.9%, now holding 24,495 shares valued at approximately $4.48 million, making it the firm's 13th largest position.
• Despite a recent decrease in stock ratings from some analysts, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target price of $209.15.
• Applied Materials recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, set to be paid on December 11th, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Beech Hill Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 27.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,495 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,477 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 2.0% of Beech Hill Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Beech Hill Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Shelton Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% in the second 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. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 0.8% in the second quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,200 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Narus Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,958 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Encompass Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,601 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.15.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.4%

AMAT stock opened at $228.13 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $187.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $232.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.74 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.82.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for 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%.Applied Materials's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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