Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 2,681 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC opened a new position in Applied Materials, buying 2,681 shares worth about $916,000 in the first quarter.
• Other institutional investors have also been increasing exposure, and hedge funds and institutions now own 80.56% of Applied Materials’ stock.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $7.91 billion, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average Moderate Buy rating and a $553.56 target price.

Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,681 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $916,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $603.04 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $499.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $391.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $478.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $553.56.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly bullish on Applied Materials, with Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy and other recent research highlighting AMAT as a key beneficiary of the AI semiconductor equipment cycle. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Applied Materials is benefiting from accelerating growth in AI-related chip demand, with record earnings momentum and a new Street-high target reinforcing the bull case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials also discussed DRAM and advanced packaging innovations tied to AI-driven semiconductor growth, which supports the view that its product mix remains well positioned for the current cycle. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles question whether AMAT is becoming too expensive after its rally, suggesting valuation concerns could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Michael Burry reportedly added to short bets against Applied Materials and other chip names, adding a bearish sentiment overlay on the semiconductor sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two recent stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still owns a large position. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks, including AMAT, also came under pressure in broader sector selloffs as investors worried that AI-driven chip demand may be cooling and took profits after a strong rally. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.

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