English Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

English Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 32.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,719 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 6,701 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 4.5% of English Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. English Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,919,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $640.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials 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 sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $507.18 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $402.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.72, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $564.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $445.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm's revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly performance: Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion, ahead of the $8.99 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. AI infrastructure demand, advanced packaging and memory spending supported growth. Applied Materials Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal Q4 revenue of approximately $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion and EPS of $3.82 to $4.22, both above analyst expectations. The company also pointed to stronger systems growth and unusually long customer visibility into fiscal 2027 and beyond. Applied Materials Forecasts Quarterly Revenue Above Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: JPMorgan, RBC, TD Cowen, B. Riley, Needham and other firms maintained positive ratings or raised price targets. Soros Capital also reportedly added AMAT among several semiconductor positions, reinforcing the longer-term AI and chip-cycle investment case. Soros Capital Loads Up on Semiconductor Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Options imply a possible rebound: Derivatives-market data indicates traders expect the pullback could be temporary, although elevated volatility reflects uncertainty over the stock’s near-term direction. Applied Materials Options Data
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations were exceptionally high: Despite the earnings beat and upbeat guidance, investors wanted faster growth and clearer evidence that AMAT is outpacing rivals in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Concerns about competition, margins and the pace of systems growth overshadowed the headline results. Applied Materials Slips as Investors Seek Faster Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure added to selling: Weaker July retail-sales data, profit-taking after record highs and a semiconductor-sector selloff weighed on AMAT and other AI-related stocks.

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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