Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 160,066 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 8.2%, selling 160,066 shares, now holding approximately 1,795,097 shares in total.
• Applied Materials reported a Q3 EPS of $2.48, exceeding estimates, with revenue reaching $7.30 billion and a year-over-year growth of 7.7%.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, with an ex-dividend date of August 21st, indicating a moderate dividend payout ratio of 21.93%.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,795,097 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 160,066 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 1.1% of Rafferty Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Applied Materials worth $260,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 91.5% during the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $161.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $182.83 and a 200-day moving average of $165.77. The company has a market cap of $129.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $215.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $205.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. B. Riley lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.88.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

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