Cambiar Investors LLC Sells 19,645 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Cambiar Investors LLC trimmed its stake in Applied Materials by 9.9% in Q4, selling 19,645 shares and now holds 178,237 shares valued at $45.81 million (2.0% of its portfolio, the fund's 22nd largest holding).
• Company insiders also sold stock recently — Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares at $377.02 and CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares at $379.16 — with insiders offloading 12,003 shares worth $4.48 million over the last quarter (insiders own 0.30% of the company).
• Applied Materials beat Q4 estimates (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21, revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53, and has seen multiple analyst price‑target upgrades amid strong product and AI demand, leaving a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (average target ~$367).

Cambiar Investors LLC cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 178,237 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 19,645 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 2.0% of Cambiar Investors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Cambiar Investors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $45,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,096 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $399.20 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $351.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $288.58. The firm has a market cap of $316.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.86, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.80 and a 52-week high of $407.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Breakthrough tool launch — Applied announced new 2nm GAA deposition tools and broader chipmaking systems aimed at next‑gen AI logic chips; market reacted strongly to the product cycle and AI demand implications. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Price target and ratings lift — Susquehanna raised its AMAT price target to $500 and moved to a positive rating, and other brokers have reiterated buys or a “moderate buy” consensus, providing analyst‑driven upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage confirmations — Bernstein reaffirmed a buy and coverage summaries show an overall constructive analyst stance, supporting investor confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: DRAM business gains traction — Coverage notes strong DRAM demand driven by AI and key partnerships, but cautions that rising competition could limit the durability of the surge. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data flagged but appears to be a data anomaly — a report showed a jump in “short interest” figures that resolve to zero shares (NaN/inconsistent), so no clear bearish signal from shorts. (data entry 4/10)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — broader market moves (e.g., macro headlines and risk‑on sentiment) have amplified momentum in semiconductors; useful but not AMAT‑specific. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock 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 issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $367.04.

Applied Materials 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.