Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 8,108 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 2.8% in the first quarter, selling 8,108 shares and ending with 283,850 shares valued at about $97.0 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $7.91 billion, up 11.4% year over year. The company also guided Q3 2026 EPS to a range of $3.16 to $3.56.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on AMAT, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $593.84, while the stock has also benefited from AI-driven semiconductor spending and expectations around its Aug. 13 earnings report.

Cetera Investment Advisers reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 283,850 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 8,108 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Applied Materials were worth $97,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parker Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 99.5% during the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 28,465 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $9,729,000 after purchasing an additional 14,199 shares during the last quarter. Militia Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $295,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 455.0% in the first quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 2,825 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signature Equity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 24.0% in the first quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 393 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $562.80 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $542.22 and a 200 day moving average of $422.30. The stock has a market cap of $446.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS 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. Investors 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Applied Materials’ upcoming fiscal third-quarter report on Aug. 13 to show double-digit earnings growth, reinforcing confidence in the company’s near-term fundamentals. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a beneficiary of AI-driven semiconductor spending, with the sector rally and broader enthusiasm for chip equipment supporting sentiment around AMAT. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: News that TSMC plans major expansion in Arizona and may raise chip prices helped boost Applied Materials, since more fab spending can translate into stronger equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Jumps On TSMC Expansion As Fair Value Debate Stays Open
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 13, keeping investor focus on the next catalyst for the stock. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Results on Aug. 13, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as a quality “wide-moat” semiconductor name and a stock to watch, but these pieces were more thematic than immediately market-moving. Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Invest in for Sustainable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary suggested the stock had been under short-term pressure before rebounding, indicating volatility rather than a clear fundamental shift. History Says Applied Materials Stock Looks Ripe for Rebound

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $593.84.

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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