Kestra Advisory Services LLC Increases Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC has increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 10.9%, owning a total of 61,213 shares valued at approximately $8.88 million.
• Wall Street analysts have issued mixed ratings for Applied Materials, with a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $193.88.
• Applied Materials recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46, with a payout ratio of 21.93%, reflecting the company's financial strength.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 10.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 6,008 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Old Port Advisors increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 7,324 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. 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 research note on Friday, August 15th. Cfra Research raised shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $193.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $162.49 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $129.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $215.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $183.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a 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.

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