Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Sells 35,864 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 52.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,907 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 35,864 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $23,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,947,891,000 after acquiring an additional 373,012 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $2,858,543,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $492.32 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $390.71 billion, a PE ratio of 42.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. The stock's 50 day moving average is $562.67 and its 200 day moving average is $451.92. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $659.83.

About Applied Materials

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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