Midwest Trust Co Sells 3,011 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Midwest Trust Co trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,011 shares and ending with 112,901 shares valued at about $29.0 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat: several analysts recently raised price targets or initiated coverage with Buy ratings, and the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a target price of $375.90.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, and gave Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.44 to $2.84.

Midwest Trust Co decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 112,901 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,011 shares during the quarter. Midwest Trust Co's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $29,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here's Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $375.90.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $435.18 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $438.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $371.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $311.19.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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