Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 342,990 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. cut its Applied Materials stake by 22% in the first quarter, selling 342,990 shares and leaving it with 1,216,373 shares valued at about $415.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors and insiders also trimmed positions, including recent sales by SVP Timothy M. Deane and Director Thomas J. Iannotti; insiders have sold 278,088 shares over the past 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and Applied Materials reporting strong quarterly results and guidance tied to continued AI-driven semiconductor spending, though some coverage warns the stock may be richly valued.

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 22.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,216,373 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 342,990 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 0.7% of Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.15% of Applied Materials worth $415,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $21,149,000 after purchasing an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Baker Chad R increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% in the 4th quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $4,297,000 after acquiring an additional 7,170 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Argus raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials continues to benefit from AI-driven semiconductor spending, and management recently reinforced the view that this investment cycle could stay elevated for years, supporting a multiyear growth outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts still see meaningful EPS growth ahead, with recent commentary highlighting strong demand trends and a higher price target from Mizuho, which can help sustain investor confidence in AMAT. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around AMAT’s valuation is becoming more cautious, with one report saying the stock appears to be trading above fair value even though earnings look roughly reasonable, suggesting limited upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the strong recent rally, some commentary frames Applied Materials as a long-term AI infrastructure winner, but also notes that new buyers are paying up after a very large five-year advance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are the main drag on sentiment today: investors may be questioning whether Applied Materials’ strong AI demand story is already fully priced into the shares after the recent surge. Article Title

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $560.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $531.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $412.23. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $445.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

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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