Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Lowers Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Empirical Financial Services LLC lowered its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 11.4%, selling 2,499 shares and concluding the quarter with a total of 19,420 shares valued at approximately $3.56 million.
• Applied Materials recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.48 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations by $0.12 and achieving a 7.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $7.30 billion.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46, set to be paid on December 11th, reflecting an annual yield of 0.8% with a payout ratio of 21.93%.

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,420 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,499 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $29,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.7%

Applied Materials stock opened at $217.53 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $226.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $173.29 billion, a PE ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $179.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Mizuho restated a "neutral" rating and set a $175.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. DZ Bank cut Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.12.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

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