Signal Advisors Wealth LLC Acquires 5,444 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its Applied Materials stake by 241.1% in the first quarter, buying 5,444 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 7,702 shares worth about $2.63 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected fiscal Q2 results, with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, and raised its Q3 2026 guidance to $3.16-$3.56 per share. Revenue also rose 11.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Citi lifting its price target to $710 and several firms reiterating buy ratings. However, some commentary warns that AMAT’s valuation looks stretched despite optimism around AI and semiconductor demand.

Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 241.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,702 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,444 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $640.18 on Tuesday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $455.89 and a 200-day moving average of $368.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $508.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.11, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $641.18.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials to $710 from $550 and kept a Buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the semiconductor equipment maker’s outlook. A Growing Supply Gap Has Analysts Eyeing Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Reuters reported that Applied Materials signed a long-term deal with EssilorLuxottica to develop augmented-reality display technology and AI glasses, expanding its opportunity in emerging wearable and AI-related markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) and EssilorLuxottica Sign Long-Term Deal, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says AI demand may help justify AMAT’s premium valuation, with investors focusing on the company’s role in semiconductor and AI infrastructure spending. Applied Materials Is Now More Expensive Than Its Dot-Com Era Peak. AI Demand Justifies the AMAT Stock Valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares, a routine filing that may draw attention but does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles highlighted concerns that AMAT’s valuation is becoming stretched, which could limit near-term upside if growth expectations cool. Applied Materials Stock Looks Pricey—Can AI Demand Justify the Rally?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. HSBC started coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $495.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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