IPG Investment Advisors LLC Sells 9,475 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• IPG Investment Advisors sharply cut its Applied Materials stake in Q4, selling 9,475 shares and reducing its position by 91.7% to 855 shares worth about $220,000.
• Institutional interest in Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) remains strong overall, with hedge funds owning 80.56% of the stock and several large investors significantly increasing their holdings.
• Analysts remain bullish: multiple firms recently raised price targets, and Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates while also increasing its quarterly dividend.

IPG Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 91.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 855 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,475 shares during the quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after acquiring an additional 10,305,182 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd 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. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Coatue Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $685,684,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 42.6% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,247,838,000 after buying an additional 3,280,730 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $470.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of Applied Materials 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 in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the semiconductor industry is experiencing its strongest period ever, with AI driving powerful long-term demand for chip equipment. CNBC article
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating and raised its price target to $575, signaling continued confidence in Applied Materials’ growth outlook. Benzinga report on Applied Materials analyst target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ recent partnership and packaging initiatives with Broadcom and SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions are being viewed as incremental wins for its AI chip packaging strategy. Applied Materials partners with Broadcom on advanced chip packaging technologies for AI systems
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest earnings beat expectations and it raised third-quarter guidance, reinforcing the view that demand remains strong. Applied Materials is up after raising Q3 outlook and expanding AI packaging alliance
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Judy Bruner and CAO Adam Sanders both sold small amounts of stock, but the transactions were relatively modest and do not appear to change the broader investment story. Insider trade filing for Judy Bruner

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $449.68 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 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $462.40. The company has a market capitalization of $357.03 billion, a PE ratio of 42.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.66. The firm's 50 day moving average is $395.24 and its 200-day moving average is $332.67.

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 (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm'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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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