HF Advisory Group LLC Sells 2,625 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group LLC cut its Applied Materials stake by 26.9% in the first quarter, selling 2,625 shares and leaving it with 7,133 shares valued at about $2.44 million.
• Insider selling continued, with SVP Omkaram Nalamasu and CEO Gary E. Dickerson both reducing their positions in mid-June; company insiders sold about $114.1 million of stock in the last quarter.
• Analysts remain largely bullish on Applied Materials, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, even as some commentary warns the shares may be richly valued after a strong rally.

HF Advisory Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 26.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,133 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,625 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,438,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $86,610,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357,167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $518.19.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials introduced new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, expanding its role in AI chip manufacturing and potentially boosting future demand. Applied Materials Introduces New Systems to Accelerate DRAM and Advanced Packaging for AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said AMAT’s event highlighted strong opportunities in DRAM and advanced packaging, reinforcing the company’s AI-driven growth narrative. Applied Materials' event focuses on DRAM, and advanced packaging: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive, with analysts still confident in Applied Materials’ strong competitive position. AMAT stock gets thumbs up from Wall Street – analysts remain confident about Applied Materials’ strong market position
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage suggests the stock may be looking expensive after its recent rally, which could limit near-term upside even if the long-term AI story stays intact. Applied Materials stock looks pricey—can AI demand justify the rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: One analysis noted that Applied Materials’ aggressive investment strategy may pressure cash flow in the near term, even though it supports longer-term growth. Can AMAT's Investment Strategy Lift Future Cash Flow Growth?

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $626.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $669.22. The company has a fifty day moving average of $473.54 and a 200-day moving average of $377.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $497.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

About Applied Materials

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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