Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS acquired 2,464 Applied Materials shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.78 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $603.23, supported by expected demand from AI infrastructure, advanced packaging and semiconductor manufacturing.
• Applied Materials recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, while investors face heightened event risk ahead of its August 13 report; insiders have sold 278,088 shares worth roughly $169.7 million over the past 90 days.

Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,464 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,781,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly optimistic about AMAT, with consensus price targets implying additional upside. Citi reportedly identified Applied Materials as a top semiconductor pick following the sector’s selloff, while other coverage highlights the company’s strong position in deposition, etch, inspection and wafer-processing equipment. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Applied Materials Stock Will Climb or Sink?
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A potential Tesla-SpaceX “Terafab” buildout, along with rising demand for AI chips, advanced packaging and memory, could create additional opportunities for Applied Materials. Tesla-SpaceX Terafab Bet
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for the August 13 report are favorable: analysts anticipate earnings growth and a potential beat. Applied Materials’ previous quarter exceeded consensus on both earnings and revenue, with revenue up 11.4% year over year, providing a constructive comparison for the upcoming release. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are pricing a potentially large earnings move, reportedly around 11%. That highlights significant event risk: a strong report and outlook could extend the rally, but merely meeting high expectations may not be enough. Options Market and AMAT’s Earnings Move
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its rating on AMAT to Hold. The downgrade adds pressure after the stock’s strong rebound and reinforces concerns that substantial AI optimism is already reflected in the valuation. Applied Materials Rating Lowered to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Investor Michael Burry’s disclosed short positions in AI-linked semiconductor names, including Applied Materials, have revived concerns about an AI-stock reversal and heightened volatility. As Burry Targets AI Chip Names

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $603.23.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.2%

AMAT opened at $539.14 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $559.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $437.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $428.06 billion, a PE ratio of 50.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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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