Corient Private Wealth LP Trims Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LP reduced its Applied Materials position by 12.6% in the second quarter, selling 40,469 shares and retaining 280,199 shares valued at approximately $202.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the stock.
• Applied Materials reported quarterly results above expectations, with EPS of $3.50 versus a $3.40 consensus and revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year. The company also maintained its $0.53 quarterly dividend, representing a 0.5% yield.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $658.45, but the stock’s elevated valuation and 1.60 beta leave it vulnerable to weaker AI spending or broader technology-market volatility.

Corient Private Wealth LP trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 280,199 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 40,469 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $202,584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $456.49 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $362.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.35, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $513.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $463.93. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.18 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.Applied Materials's revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.28%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the AI boom remains durable, citing customer orders that extend years into the future. Commentary from industry peers reportedly supports continued demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, strengthening the growth outlook for AMAT. Applied Materials AI demand outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.53 per share, payable December 10 to shareholders of record November 19. The payment follows a 15% dividend increase announced in March and signals continued confidence in cash generation. Applied Materials dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.50 versus a $3.40 consensus estimate and revenue of $9.12 billion versus $8.99 billion. Revenue increased 24.8% year over year, supporting the bullish AI and semiconductor-cycle narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor articles are comparing AMAT favorably with Intel because Applied Materials is profitable, has relatively low debt and supplies the equipment needed to build advanced chips. However, the stock’s roughly 39 price-to-earnings ratio leaves less room for execution disappointments. Applied Materials versus Intel comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of $658.45. Nonetheless, the wide range between bullish and bearish scenarios highlights uncertainty surrounding AI demand, semiconductor cyclicality and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares for approximately $465,000, reducing her holdings by 3.77%. She still retains a substantial position, so the transaction is a modest sentiment negative rather than a major change in insider conviction. SEC insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Risk-focused commentary notes that AMAT tends to amplify market moves. Its beta of 1.60 and elevated valuation could make the stock vulnerable if AI spending expectations weaken or broader technology shares pull back. Applied Materials volatility analysis

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $605.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $658.45.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 232,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,579,059. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.

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