Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Sells 31,151 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management reduced its Applied Materials stake by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 31,151 shares and leaving it with 494,004 shares valued at about $126.95 million.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at “Moderate Buy,” alongside recent insider sales by a director and the CAO.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 494,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 31,151 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $126,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $450.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $357.33 billion, a PE ratio of 42.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The business's 50-day moving average is $397.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.49. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $462.40.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business 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. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $470.13.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its Overweight rating on Applied Materials and raised its price target to $575, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment and pointing to more upside potential. Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT Receives Overweight Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights AMAT’s blowout quarterly results, higher outlook, and new AI chip equipment partnerships with companies like Broadcom and SCREEN, all of which support expectations for continued demand in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Assessing Applied Materials (AMAT) Valuation After Earnings Beat And New AI Chip Equipment Partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the semiconductor industry is in its strongest period ever, with AI driving unprecedented computing demand, which adds to the long-term growth narrative for Applied Materials. This is the greatest time ever for semiconductors, says CEO of key equipment supplier
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT continues to attract bullish commentary from analysts and market commentators as a leading AI semiconductor equipment play, helping sustain momentum in the shares. KLA vs. Applied Materials: Which Chip Equipment Stock Wins Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also presented at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference, which kept investors focused on management’s outlook but did not add a major new catalyst. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Presents at Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by Director Judy Bruner may create a modest headwind, though the sale was small relative to her remaining stake and does not appear to change the broader bullish thesis. Applied Materials director Judy Bruner stock sale

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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