Maple Capital Management Inc. Increases Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Maple Capital Management increased its stake in Applied Materials by 8.5% in Q4, purchasing 7,710 shares to own 98,640 shares valued at $25.35 million, making AMAT 1.6% of its portfolio and its 23rd largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly bullish — multiple upgrades and raised price targets (Seaport $500, B. Riley $485, Morgan Stanley higher) have supported a rally that lifted the stock to about $428.62 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $370.86.
• Company catalysts include a recent earnings beat with Q2 guidance of $2.44–2.84 EPS, a strategic tuck‑in acquisition of NEXX to expand advanced packaging for AI chipmaking, and a raised quarterly dividend to $0.53.

Maple Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,640 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,710 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 1.6% of Maple Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Maple Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $25,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cabot Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $206,000. Retirement Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 47,112 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $12,107,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares during the last quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,873 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $8,191,000 after buying an additional 1,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 1,421 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Global initiated coverage with a Buy and a $500 price target, calling Applied the best‑positioned wafer‑equipment supplier — a bullish analyst endorsement that supports higher investor expectations. Seaport Global Initiates a Buy Rating on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its rating/price target (overweight; target up to $454), signaling more upside from current levels and reinforcing buy‑side momentum ahead of upcoming results. Morgan Stanley upgrades Applied Materials stock price target pre-earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Applied agreed to acquire NEXX from ASMPT to add panel‑level advanced packaging tools for AI chipmaking — a strategic tuck‑in that expands AMAT’s advanced packaging addressable market without regulatory hurdles. Applied Materials Expands AI Packaging With NEXX Deal As Stock Surges
• Positive Sentiment: Broader semiconductor/AI infrastructure coverage highlights strong capex demand (ETFs and peers outperforming), which supports durable demand for wafer‑fab and packaging equipment — a favorable macro backdrop for AMAT. Semiconductor Leaders SOXX, SMH, and FTXL Are Crushing It on AI Infrastructure Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and model checks point to a high probability AMAT will continue its earnings‑beat streak, supporting investor confidence ahead of the next report. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is scheduled for investor conferences and fireside chats — positive for transparency and engagement but not an immediate catalyst unless new guidance or targets are disclosed. Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical momentum: AMAT recently cleared its 20‑day moving average — a short‑term bullish technical signal that can attract momentum traders. Applied Materials (AMAT) Just Overtook the 20-Day Moving Average
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: commentary notes AMAT trades at a premium P/S multiple (~9.4x), which increases sensitivity to any slowdown in AI capex or missed guidance. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock at a P/S Valuation of 9.39X?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $370.86.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.3%

Applied Materials stock opened at $428.62 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $370.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $340.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.51 and a twelve month high of $432.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

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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