Expressive Wealth LLC Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Expressive Wealth LLC initiated a new position in Applied Materials, buying 2,332 shares valued at about $599,000 in the fourth quarter. Other institutional investors also added to or opened positions, and institutions now own 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials delivered a strong fiscal second quarter, with revenue of $7.91 billion and EPS of $2.86, both ahead of analyst expectations. The company also lifted its Q3 2026 revenue guidance to about $8.95 billion, signaling continued demand in semiconductor equipment.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: several analysts raised price targets, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with a target price of $465.14. Applied Materials also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, up from $0.46.

Expressive Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported fiscal Q2 sales of $7.91 billion and net income of $2.81 billion, topping expectations and showing continued solid execution. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: The company lifted Q3 2026 revenue guidance to about $8.95 billion, suggesting management sees ongoing strength in semiconductor spending. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials expanded its AI packaging and process innovation efforts, including new collaboration with partners such as Broadcom and SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions, which could support longer-term growth in advanced chip packaging. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: The newly announced SCREEN partnership at the EPIC Center adds another innovation partner focused on advanced wafer cleaning, which may help improve yields and accelerate next-generation chip production. Applied Materials Partners with SCREEN To Bring Advanced Wafer Cleaning Technologies to EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider filing showed CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares, but the transaction was small relative to his remaining stake and is unlikely to materially affect the stock. Applied Materials, Inc. CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares
• Negative Sentiment: A broad market commentary piece warned that momentum stocks can reverse after strong runs, which may temper enthusiasm for recently extended winners like AMAT. Intel, AMD, and Other Momentum Stocks Look Unstoppable. Look Again.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $410.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $465.14.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $454.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $391.25 and a 200-day moving average of $329.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $456.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $361.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% 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. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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