Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings sharply cut its Applied Materials stake by 71.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 111,198 shares and leaving it with 44,884 shares worth about $11.5 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.38 versus estimates of $2.21 and revenue of $7.01 billion versus $6.88 billion expected. The company also issued Q2 2026 guidance of $2.44 to $2.84 per share.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, and Wall Street remains broadly constructive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $375.90.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 71.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,884 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 111,198 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,535,000 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 AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $375.90.

Applied Materials Trading Up 6.0%

Applied Materials stock opened at $435.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $371.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.19. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $438.04. The company has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here's Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

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.

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.