Ridgewood Investments LLC Boosts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) by 24.4% in Q2, now owning 10,402 shares valued at approximately $1.9 million.
• Analysts have adjusted price targets for Applied Materials, with a consensus target price of $192.92 and ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Hold".
• Applied Materials recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46, indicating a 1.0% dividend yield with a payout ratio of 21.93%.

Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 24.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,402 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,043 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises approximately 0.8% of Ridgewood Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Ridgewood Investments LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shelton Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Shelton Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.8% in the second quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.5% in the first quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in Applied Materials by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Mizuho restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $175.00 target price (down previously from $200.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Summit Insights downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.2%

Applied Materials stock opened at $190.10 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $151.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.67.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 21.93%.

About Applied Materials

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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