Private Advisor Group LLC Purchases 8,557 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Private Advisor Group LLC increased its Applied Materials stake by 21.4% in the first quarter, buying 8,557 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 48,452 shares valued at about $16.56 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue expectations, with revenue up 11.4% year over year. The company also issued Q3 2026 guidance above expectations.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on AMAT, with multiple analysts raising price targets and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy; however, recent insider selling and valuation concerns have added some caution.

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 21.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 48,452 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,557 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $16,560,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th 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 shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $603.04 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $478.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.62, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The business's fifty day moving average price is $499.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $390.89. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's quarterly 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 anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $553.56.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly bullish on Applied Materials, with Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy and other recent research highlighting AMAT as a key beneficiary of the AI semiconductor equipment cycle. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Applied Materials is benefiting from accelerating growth in AI-related chip demand, with record earnings momentum and a new Street-high target reinforcing the bull case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials also discussed DRAM and advanced packaging innovations tied to AI-driven semiconductor growth, which supports the view that its product mix remains well positioned for the current cycle. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles question whether AMAT is becoming too expensive after its rally, suggesting valuation concerns could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Michael Burry reportedly added to short bets against Applied Materials and other chip names, adding a bearish sentiment overlay on the semiconductor sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two recent stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still owns a large position. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks, including AMAT, also came under pressure in broader sector selloffs as investors worried that AI-driven chip demand may be cooling and took profits after a strong rally. 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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