Stonebridge Capital Management Inc. Acquires New Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Stonebridge Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,405 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,800,000. Applied Materials comprises about 3.3% of Stonebridge Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AMAT. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $657.76.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage highlights Applied Materials’ $9.12 billion third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.50, up 41%. Management cited record demand visibility from AI infrastructure, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion. The company is also continuing share repurchases and investing $5 billion in its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor innovation. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: AMAT appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and industry experience could strengthen oversight as Applied Materials pursues growth tied to advanced logic, memory and AI chip production. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals elevated uncertainty: A new analysis says options pricing for roughly one year ahead implies a particularly wide potential trading range, extending materially below and above the current level. That suggests investors should expect significant volatility rather than providing a clear directional signal. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
• Negative Sentiment: CFO share sale may weigh modestly on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 AMAT shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct holdings by 5.51%. The sale does not alter the company’s operating outlook, but insider selling can create a limited short-term sentiment overhang. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company'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 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 $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 284,192 shares of company stock worth $172,625,209. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $461.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $550.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $456.77. The stock has a market cap of $366.38 billion, a PE ratio of 39.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

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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