Fulton Bank N.A. Has $8.12 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Fulton Bank N.A. trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 6.5% in the first quarter, selling 1,640 shares and ending with 23,768 shares valued at about $8.12 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on AMAT, with several firms raising price targets; MarketBeat data shows a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.56.
• Applied Materials posted strong recent results and outlook, beating earnings and revenue estimates last quarter and issuing Q3 2026 EPS guidance above prior expectations, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Fulton Bank N.A. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,768 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 1,640 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Whelan Financial raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 1,754 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $73,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 166,069 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $56,761,000 after purchasing an additional 5,409 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% during the first quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 5,490 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,876,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Severin Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth $236,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $553.56.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive on Applied Materials, with Erste Group raising FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates and Cantor Fitzgerald lifting its price target to $850 while keeping an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Applied Materials as a major beneficiary of AI-driven chip spending, with the stock hitting all-time highs and posting its best monthly rally since 1975, supported by stronger earnings expectations and improved sentiment across semiconductor equipment names.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary noted that chip stocks were the main laggard even as most equities moved higher, suggesting sector rotation rather than company-specific fundamentals may have pressured AMAT.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical analysts warned that Applied Materials had become extremely overbought and could be due for a reversal after its steep surge, which may have contributed to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary E. Dickerson disclosed two stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares over June 29-30, a move that can weigh on sentiment even though he still retains a very large stake.

Applied Materials Trading Down 10.0%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $650.91 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $491.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $386.97. The firm has a market cap of $516.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 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 given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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