Lmcg Investments LLC Sells 20,876 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Lmcg Investments LLC reduced its Applied Materials stake by 22.1% in the first quarter, selling 20,876 shares and leaving it with 73,764 shares valued at about $25.2 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with several other investors recently adding to positions and institutions collectively holding 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials is drawing mixed signals: analysts have generally turned more bullish on AI-driven demand, but the stock is also facing near-term pressure from a broader semiconductor selloff and recent insider sales.

Lmcg Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 22.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 73,764 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 20,876 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up approximately 1.5% of Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $25,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $21,149,000 after buying an additional 3,508 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled SENZ, an AI-powered platform designed to speed development of smart glasses, which supports the company’s positioning in next-generation AI hardware and could expand long-term growth opportunities. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive, with Morgan Stanley raising its price target to $647 and Goldman Sachs also boosting its target, reinforcing optimism around AMAT’s earnings momentum and AI-driven demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted AMAT as a Strong Buy momentum stock, noting its strong rebound from the 52-week low and continued support from broad AI-related equipment demand. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage noted that AMAT had been one of the strongest stocks in the semiconductor group before today’s pullback, suggesting the move may reflect a short-term cooldown rather than a change in the longer-term trend. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are falling alongside the broader chip sector, with investors rotating out of semiconductor names amid an industry-wide tech selloff and caution tied to memory-chip sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another market recap said AMAT declined more than the broader market, adding to near-term downside pressure even though the company’s fundamentals remain strong. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $569.65.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $554.50 on Wednesday. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $506.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $396.31. The stock has a market cap of $440.25 billion, a PE ratio of 52.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business'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, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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