State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its stake in Applied Materials by 3.3% in Q4, selling 9,198 shares and holding 272,185 shares valued at about $69.95 million.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive — 27 analysts rate AMAT a Buy versus 7 Hold, with an average price target of $368.29 and recent target increases from firms including Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo and Citi.
• Applied Materials beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21; revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B), set Q2 guidance of $2.440–$2.840, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 from $0.46.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 272,185 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,198 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $69,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Family Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake 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. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,096 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.29.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $388.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $308.00 billion, a PE ratio of 39.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.64. The company's 50 day moving average is $368.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.33. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.74 and a 52-week high of $420.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 21.70%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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