Waycross Partners LLC Buys 3,011 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Waycross Partners initiated a position in Applied Materials, buying 3,011 shares worth approximately $1.54 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $632.01; 30 analysts rate the stock Buy and nine rate it Hold.
• Applied Materials beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $3.50 and revenue of $9.12 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Waycross Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,011 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,540,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Evercore set a $590.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 price target (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $632.01.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded up $13.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $332.71. 9,456,460 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,369,214. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $444.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $444.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $264.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last ninety days. 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: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company's offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.

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