Comerica Bank Cuts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Comerica Bank trimmed its stake in Applied Materials by 8.8%, selling 14,712 shares in Q4 and leaving 151,593 shares valued at about $38.96 million.
• Applied Materials beat Q1 estimates (non‑GAAP EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21) and reported record DRAM revenue (~34% of Semiconductor Systems), set Q2 guidance of 2.440–2.840 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53.
• Company insiders sold 12,003 shares (~$4.48 million) over the past 90 days, yet institutional ownership remains high at ~80.56% and analysts maintain a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with numerous buy ratings.

Comerica Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,593 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 14,712 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $38,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grandfield & Dodd LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.9% during the third quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $55,180,000 after buying an additional 17,397 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 21.8% during the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 82.2% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after buying an additional 12,132 shares during the period. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and DRAM strength — Applied beat estimates (non-GAAP EPS $2.38 vs $2.21) and reported record DRAM revenue now ~34% of Semiconductor Systems revenue, supporting a stronger memory-driven growth outlook. Philippe Laffont's Coatue Is Betting Billions on These 3 AI Stocks. Here's Why Smart Money Sees AI Dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla terafab participation — Applied joined Tesla’s Terafab project, a potential validation of AMAT’s equipment roadmap and a source of future equipment orders if Tesla scales fabs. Applied Materials Just Joined the Tesla Terafab Project. Does That Make AMAT Stock a Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish endorsements — Jim Cramer publicly called AMAT “a great buy,” and buy-side interest (e.g., Coatue) draws retail and institutional attention that can support momentum. Jim Cramer on Applied Materials: “It’s Not a Good Buy, It’s a Great Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and sector tailwinds — Analysts and industry write-ups expect double-digit EPS growth next quarter and highlight semiconductor/AI-driven demand (especially for memory/DRAM), which benefits AMAT’s equipment backlog and margin outlook. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Q2 2026 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Industry buy lists and thematic coverage — AMAT appears on semiconductor/AI-themed buy lists (Zacks, industry commentaries) as investors favor companies exposed to AI, ML and memory demand. 3 Stocks to Buy From the Prospering Semiconductor Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings date set — Applied will report fiscal Q2 2026 results on May 14; the event is a clear near-term catalyst but outcome/tone will determine direction. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Results on May 14, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative upside narratives — Coverage arguing AMAT could be a trillion-dollar company candidate is bullish headline-grabbing speculation but depends on sustained margin and end-market expansion. Applied Materials (AMAT): Analyzing the Next Stock to Breach the Trillion Dollar Barrier
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data anomaly — a report shows a “large increase” but lists zero shares and NaN changes; likely a data glitch rather than actionable short-squeeze signal. (source: short interest report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. buy/sell write-ups — Multiple “is AMAT a buy?” pieces and commentaries summarize bull cases; they reinforce investor interest but add no new company-specific catalysts. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $417.00 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $330.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.64. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.71 and a twelve month high of $420.50. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $366.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $302.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.29.

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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