MML Investors Services LLC Sells 16,529 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• MML Investors Services LLC cut its Applied Materials stake by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,529 shares and leaving it with 236,364 shares valued at about $60.7 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with multiple analysts raising price targets recently; Barclays boosted its target to $590 and kept an Overweight rating, while the consensus rating is Moderate Buy.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also issued upbeat Q3 guidance, even as insiders sold shares during the last quarter.

MML Investors Services LLC trimmed its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 236,364 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 16,529 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $60,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a sign it is targeting growing demand for advanced AI chips and next-generation semiconductor scaling. Applied Materials Unveils Deposition and Selective Etch Systems to Advance 3D Chip Scaling
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Applied Materials to $590 from $500 and kept an Overweight rating, reflecting higher expectations for wafer fab equipment spending and capital investment trends. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets Higher Price Targets from Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and other bullish articles highlighted AMAT as a stock investors may want to own when semiconductor demand strengthens, adding to the day’s favorable sentiment around the name. Jim Cramer Says “I’ll Go for AMAT”
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary warned that the recent rally has pushed Applied Materials to stretched valuation levels, suggesting the stock may be extended after a sharp rebound and could be vulnerable to a pullback if momentum fades. Buy, Hold, or Sell: Applied Materials Surged Right Back Toward $500 Following a Brutal June Flush. Here’s Where I’d Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argued that AMAT is “not cheap enough to buy” but also “too strong to sell,” reinforcing the view that the stock is richly valued but supported by solid fundamentals. Applied Materials: Not Cheap Enough To Buy, Too Strong To Sell
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT has already rebounded sharply and may be too extended for fresh buying at current levels, which could limit upside if investors become more cautious. Buy, Hold, or Sell: Applied Materials Surged Right Back Toward $500 Following a Brutal June Flush. Here’s Where I’d Buy

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $502.00 target price (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.3%

Applied Materials stock opened at $585.78 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $599.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $431.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $355.90. The company has a market capitalization of $465.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

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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