Patton Fund Management Inc. Sells 17,837 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management sharply reduced its Applied Materials stake in Q1, selling 17,837 shares and cutting its position by 64.1% to 9,992 shares worth about $3.4 million.
• Applied Materials insiders also sold stock, including Prabu G. Raja and Omkaram Nalamasu; over the past 90 days, insiders have sold 199,767 shares valued at roughly $114.1 million.
• The company continues to show strong operational momentum, beating quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and rising price targets.

Patton Fund Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 64.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,992 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 17,837 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $626.84 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $473.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $378.12. The firm has a market cap of $497.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $669.22.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective 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 lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Argus boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. 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 MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $518.19.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials introduced new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, expanding its role in AI chip manufacturing and potentially boosting future demand. Applied Materials Introduces New Systems to Accelerate DRAM and Advanced Packaging for AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said AMAT’s event highlighted strong opportunities in DRAM and advanced packaging, reinforcing the company’s AI-driven growth narrative. Applied Materials' event focuses on DRAM, and advanced packaging: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive, with analysts still confident in Applied Materials’ strong competitive position. AMAT stock gets thumbs up from Wall Street – analysts remain confident about Applied Materials’ strong market position
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage suggests the stock may be looking expensive after its recent rally, which could limit near-term upside even if the long-term AI story stays intact. Applied Materials stock looks pricey—can AI demand justify the rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: One analysis noted that Applied Materials’ aggressive investment strategy may pressure cash flow in the near term, even though it supports longer-term growth. Can AMAT's Investment Strategy Lift Future Cash Flow Growth?

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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