Palmer Knight Co Has $16.47 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Palmer Knight Co. cut its Applied Materials position by 23.1% in the second quarter, selling 6,836 shares and retaining 22,785 shares valued at $16.47 million. Applied Materials remains the firm’s largest holding, representing 6.3% of its portfolio.
• Applied Materials reported record quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year, and EPS of $3.50, exceeding analyst estimates. Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $659.83, supported by AI-driven semiconductor demand and advanced-packaging opportunities.
• Investor sentiment faces risks from insider selling and bearish positioning: insiders sold $169.5 million of stock over the past 90 days, while Paul Tudor Jones and Michael Burry reportedly increased bearish exposure. Shares opened at $492.32, well below the 50-day moving average of $562.67.

Palmer Knight Co lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 23.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,785 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 6,836 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 6.3% of Palmer Knight Co's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Palmer Knight Co's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $16,474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC increased 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 buying an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $77,383,000 after acquiring an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 277,820 shares of company stock valued at $169,538,434 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $492.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market capitalization of $390.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $562.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $451.05. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $659.83.

Applied Materials 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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