Qtron Investments LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Qtron Investments LLC cut its Applied Materials stake by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,542 shares and ending with 9,827 shares worth about $2.53 million.
• Wall Street remains upbeat on Applied Materials (AMAT), with several analysts raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with an average target price of $483.03.
• The company has also seen recent insider selling, including a 50,000-share sale by Prabu G. Raja and a 2,500-share sale by CFO Brice Hill, while Applied Materials recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Qtron Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,827 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,542 shares during the quarter. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop and helping reinforce the stock’s upside momentum. Top 5 Strong Buy Stocks to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, citing continued investment in new chip supply and AI infrastructure demand. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of high-bandwidth memory and broader AI hardware spending, which supports long-term semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is One Of the Best High-Bandwidth Memory Stocks To Buy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new $500 million Singapore manufacturing expansion is being viewed as a strategic move to support AI chip demand and expand capacity for future growth. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 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 $557.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $422.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.11. The stock has a market cap of $438.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.89, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

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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