Simmons Bank Has $3.31 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Simmons Bank boosted its Applied Materials stake by 57.7% in the first quarter, buying 3,544 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 9,686 shares valued at about $3.31 million.
• Wall Street remains bullish on AMAT, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $541.06.
• Applied Materials delivered solid quarterly results and upbeat guidance, beating EPS and revenue estimates and forecasting Q3 2026 EPS of $3.16 to $3.56, even as some analysts warn the stock’s sharp rally has raised expectations.

Simmons Bank grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 57.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,686 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,544 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,311,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. HSBC started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. 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 MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $541.06.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $694.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $551.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.22, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $479.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $381.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $708.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc turned more constructive ahead of Applied Materials’ upcoming Q3 earnings, helping fuel a surge in the stock as traders bet on strong near-term results and continued AI-related demand. Why Applied Materials Shares Are Surging Monday
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised their price targets, including KeyBanc and Bank of America, with one note lifting its target to a Street-high level and reinforcing a bullish outlook for AMAT. Bank of America Just Gave Applied Materials Stock a New Street-High Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was added to the Russell Top 50 index, which could increase passive-fund ownership and broaden investor attention. Applied Materials (AMAT) Joins Russell Top 50 After Leaving Value Indexes
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from market strategists noted that much of the good news may already be priced in after AMAT’s strong run, raising the risk that any earnings disappointment could trigger volatility. This Analyst Sees 20% Upside For AMAT Stock – Says High Expectations Around Applied Materials’ Businesses Create Short-Term Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts cautioned that expectations are now very high after the stock’s rapid rally, which could limit upside if Applied Materials does not deliver an especially strong earnings report. Applied Materials: Equipment Market Surge Priced Into Stock Price

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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