Stance Capital LLC Sells 2,833 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Stance Capital LLC reduced its Applied Materials stake by 35.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,833 shares and ending with 5,175 shares valued at about $1.33 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 beating estimates and revenue of $7.91 billion topping forecasts; the company also issued Q3 2026 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 EPS.
• Sentiment around AMAT remains constructive, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock drawing attention from AI demand and growth opportunities, though the shares have also seen heavy insider selling and some valuation caution.

Stance Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,175 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,833 shares during the quarter. Stance Capital LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $21,149,000 after acquiring an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $617.11 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $489.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 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. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $451.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $365.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $638.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-seven equities 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $489.16.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AGS services business is being highlighted as a long-term growth engine, with AI-enabled services and expanding margins potentially creating more recurring revenue. Can AMAT's AGS Business Become a Long-Term Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Shares are benefiting from renewed enthusiasm around AI demand and strong earnings momentum, with articles noting the stock has been hitting new highs after solid results and upbeat guidance. AI Demand, Earnings Send Applied Materials to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ with Qualcomm and EssilorLuxottica for AI eyewear, reinforcing investor hopes that the company can expand beyond core chipmaking tools into adjacent growth markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with higher price targets such as Citi’s $710 view helping fuel the rally by suggesting AI demand can justify the premium valuation. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Rallies 8.75% on Citi’s Bullish $710 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson and SVP Omkaram Nalamasu, sold shares this week; while the sales were small relative to their remaining holdings, they can weigh on sentiment. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary warns the stock looks expensive after a sharp year-to-date surge, with valuation comparisons to the dot-com era potentially prompting caution despite the strong fundamental backdrop. Applied Materials stock valuation and performance

Applied Materials Company 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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