UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Trims Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp cut its Applied Materials stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,314 shares and leaving it with 55,185 shares valued at about $14.18 million.
• Despite that trim, institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 80.56% of Applied Materials' stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly bullish: several firms raised targets or reiterated Buy/Overweight ratings, and the consensus view is a Moderate Buy with a target price of $375.90.

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp decreased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,185 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 4,314 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $375.90.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here's Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Applied Materials Stock Up 6.0%

AMAT stock opened at $435.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $345.36 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm's fifty day moving average is $371.10 and its 200 day moving average is $311.19. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $153.47 and a one year high of $438.04.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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 forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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