Sovran Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Sovran Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 71.2%, bringing their total to 3,319 shares worth $647,000 as of the latest filing.
• Multiple institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Applied Materials, with 80.56% of the company's stock now owned by these entities.
• Applied Materials is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share on December 11th, reflecting a 1% dividend yield.

Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 71.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,319 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $190.10. The stock had a trading volume of 18,902,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,833,373. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $176.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.58. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.44 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. The company'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. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Daiwa America cut shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Citigroup lowered 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.92.

Applied Materials 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.