Ethic Inc. Buys 4,898 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 4,898 shares, raising its total holdings to 119,638 shares, valued at approximately $21.9 million at the end of the second quarter.
• Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of Applied Materials' stock, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Equities research analysts have shown mixed signals, with price targets ranging widely; Stifel Nicolaus raised their target from $180.00 to $215.00 while B. Riley increased theirs from $200.00 to $265.00.

Ethic Inc. increased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 4.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,638 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 4,898 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $21,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Maseco LLP bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 91.5% in the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $209.15.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.0%

Applied Materials stock opened at $226.07 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $188.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50. The company has a market cap of $180.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.82. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $232.07.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

About Applied Materials

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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