Groupama Asset Managment Sells 6,945 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Groupama Asset Management reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 27.6%, selling 6,945 shares and leaving them with a total of 18,222 shares valued at approximately $2.64 million.
• Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of Applied Materials, with significant increases in holdings noted from firms like Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, which boosted its stake by 2,477.6%.
• Applied Materials recently reported an EPS of $2.48 for the quarter, exceeding expectations, with revenues of $7.30 billion reflecting a year-over-year increase of 7.7%.

Groupama Asset Managment reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 27.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,222 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 6,945 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,603,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 9,896 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 793 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 2,477.6% during the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 19,873 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,232,000 after purchasing an additional 19,102 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $194.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $162.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $183.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.39. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $215.70. The company has a market capitalization of $130.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 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.

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