GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. Sells 3,805 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 19.5%, selling 3,805 shares and now holding a total of 15,701 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million.
• A variety of institutional investors have been actively trading Applied Materials shares, with hedge funds owning 80.56% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Applied Materials, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price averaging $193.88, reflecting recent target cuts from several banks.

GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 19.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,701 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,805 shares during the period. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% during 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 period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa America lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.7%

Applied Materials stock traded down $4.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $160.76. The stock had a trading volume of 7,198,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,177,691. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $182.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.23. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $215.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 21.93%.

Applied Materials 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.