Cim Investment Management Inc. Sells 3,835 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Cim Investment Management cut its stake in Applied Materials by 50.6%, selling 3,835 shares and leaving 3,745 shares valued at about $767,000 as of its latest 13F filing.
• Wall Street analysts have grown more bullish—several firms raised price targets (e.g., Goldman to $390, B. Riley and TD Cowen to $450, Cantor Fitzgerald to $470) and the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a $363.46 average price target.
• Applied Materials raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, ~0.6% yield), while insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares worth about $4.48 million in the past 90 days (insiders own 0.30%).

Cim Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 50.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,745 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,835 shares during the quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $767,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% during 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 buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% during the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Welch Group LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, March 5th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $363.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $279.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.08, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The company's fifty day moving average is $336.85 and its 200 day moving average is $265.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $395.95.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, with a low forward payout ratio and long-term dividend growth — signals management confidence and returns cash to shareholders. As Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%, Should You Buy AMAT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry pieces position AMAT as a key beneficiary of an AI-driven semiconductor cycle (memory, logic, tooling), reinforcing growth expectations for equipment makers. Applied Materials: The AI Gold Rush Everyone Is Missing
• Positive Sentiment: Research/technology-focused coverage highlights AMAT’s process node relevance (gate-all-around) and upgrades its buy thesis — technical roadmap upside can drive order cycles. Applied Materials: The Gate-All-Around Inflection Point Justifies A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT announced a collaboration with Synopsys and NVIDIA to speed quantum chemistry simulations for chip R&D — could shorten materials development cycles and improve competitive positioning. Applied Materials Ties Quantum Simulations To AI Chip R&D Story
• Positive Sentiment: Investor mentions: billionaire investor Ken Fisher included AMAT among notable moves for 2026, providing a retail/market sentiment tailwind. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Billionaire Ken Fisher Remains Positive on Semis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the dividend yield remains low (~0.6%) despite the hike and multiple dividend-focused write-ups reiterate yield/context rather than changing the growth story. Applied Materials Dividend Growth Adds New Dimension to AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zeroed out and shouldn’t be read as a material new signal today. Short interest data (market feed)

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.