Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Inc. Invests $1.08 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Pathfinder Wealth Consulting opened a new position in Applied Materials, buying 4,194 shares worth about $1.08 million in the fourth quarter.
• Applied Materials reported a strong quarterly update, with EPS of $2.86 beating estimates and revenue of $7.91 billion topping forecasts; it also guided Q3 2026 EPS to $3.16-$3.56.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, while analysts remained broadly positive with multiple buy/overweight ratings and price targets up to $530.

Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,078,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of AMAT opened at $432.16 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $448.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $387.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $326.06. The firm has a market cap of $342.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ new collaboration with Broadcom boosts its AI packaging story and highlights its importance in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains constructive, with traders noting strong semiconductor sector momentum, improving technicals, and continued AI infrastructure demand supporting AMAT. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Opinions on Semiconductor Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street still appears bullish on AMAT, with multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and price targets clustered well above current levels, reinforcing the stock’s longer-term upside case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage continues to frame Applied Materials as a key beneficiary of AI and advanced packaging trends, but some of the related articles are commentary rather than new company-specific developments. Applied Materials (AMAT): “The Arms Dealer of the Semiconductor Revolution”
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also highlighted the stock’s strong multi-year performance and its role among semiconductor equipment peers, which may support investor attention but do not add a major new catalyst. Here's How Much You'd Have If You Invested $1000 in Applied Materials a Decade Ago
• Negative Sentiment: One potential overhang is continued insider selling over the past six months, which can sometimes weigh on sentiment even when fundamentals remain strong.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. 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 note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $465.14.

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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