Cerity Partners LLC Has $53.51 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, holding 208,201 shares valued at about $53.5 million.
• Applied Materials reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above analyst estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, and Wall Street sentiment remains constructive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $470.13.

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 208,201 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,567 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $53,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $685,684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, reinforcing its capital-return strategy and signaling confidence in cash generation. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains upbeat on AI-related chip equipment demand, with recent commentary highlighting Applied Materials as a beneficiary of rising logic, DRAM, and advanced packaging spending. Applied Materials jumps 6.8% as AI-driven equipment demand and analyst optimism lift shares
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with multiple firms maintaining buy or outperform ratings and several price targets sitting above the current trading range, which can help underpin the stock. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Eyes Growing Southeast Asia Workforce by 25%
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports of sharply higher short-interest activity appear data-distorted, but they still reflect ongoing attention from traders betting on semiconductor volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sentiment is mixed: some commentary says the sector may be entering a correction after a strong run, while other notes call recent pullbacks healthy. Semiconductor Index Outlook: Upside Target Reached, Correction Underway
• Negative Sentiment: There is also some caution from insider-sale headlines and valuation-focused articles after AMAT’s strong multi-month run, which could limit upside if investors rotate out of high-multiple semiconductor names.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of AMAT opened at $499.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.87, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The business's fifty day moving average price is $415.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.85. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $525.98.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Summit Insights raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $470.13.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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