WealthPLAN Partners LLC Buys Shares of 2,223 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• WealthPLAN Partners LLC opened a new position in Applied Materials, buying 2,223 shares in the first quarter worth about $760,000.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, and it also raised guidance for Q3 2026.
• Analysts remain upbeat on the stock, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating standing at Moderate Buy; however, insiders have also been selling shares recently.

WealthPLAN Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,223 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $760,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors raised its position in Applied Materials by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $21,149,000 after acquiring an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 1.1% in the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $554.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $506.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $396.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $440.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.07, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled SENZ, an AI-powered platform designed to speed development of smart glasses, which supports the company’s positioning in next-generation AI hardware and could expand long-term growth opportunities. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive, with Morgan Stanley raising its price target to $647 and Goldman Sachs also boosting its target, reinforcing optimism around AMAT’s earnings momentum and AI-driven demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted AMAT as a Strong Buy momentum stock, noting its strong rebound from the 52-week low and continued support from broad AI-related equipment demand. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage noted that AMAT had been one of the strongest stocks in the semiconductor group before today’s pullback, suggesting the move may reflect a short-term cooldown rather than a change in the longer-term trend. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are falling alongside the broader chip sector, with investors rotating out of semiconductor names amid an industry-wide tech selloff and caution tied to memory-chip sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another market recap said AMAT declined more than the broader market, adding to near-term downside pressure even though the company’s fundamentals remain strong. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $569.65.

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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