RM Financial Services LLC Invests $1.32 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• RM Financial Services LLC opened a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter, buying 5,150 shares valued at about $1.32 million. The stock now makes up 1.2% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Applied Materials continues to draw bullish analyst attention, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock now carrying a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $480.13.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue expectations, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share as it expands capacity to support AI-chip demand.

RM Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,150 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,323,000. Applied Materials comprises 1.2% of RM Financial Services LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $480.13.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $418.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $348.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. 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 $534.44.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

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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