The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Cuts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company has reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 23.9%, selling 357,272 shares during Q1 and now owning about 1,134,900 shares, valued at approximately $164.7 million.
• Applied Materials recently reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, surpassing estimates, with quarterly revenue increasing 7.7% year-over-year to $7.30 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 1.1%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 21st.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,134,900 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 357,272 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.14% of Applied Materials worth $164,697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 91.5% in the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. B. Riley lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 7th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.88.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $3.14 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $157.62. 4,936,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,389,389. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $181.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.17. The company has a market cap of $125.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.77.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company 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.