&PARTNERS Buys 16,811 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• &PARTNERS increased its Applied Materials stake by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 16,811 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 156,043 shares worth about $40.1 million.
• Applied Materials posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both ahead of expectations. Revenue rose 11.4% year over year, and the company also issued Q3 2026 EPS guidance of $3.16 to $3.56.
• Analysts remain bullish overall despite recent insider selling and a 3% stock decline. The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” with 27 Buy ratings and an average target price of $483.03.

&PARTNERS boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 156,043 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,811 shares during the period. &PARTNERS's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $40,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.0%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.35, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $600.91. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $436.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $358.14.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. 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 report on Thursday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

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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