Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 4,541 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Wellspring Financial Advisors boosted its Applied Materials stake by 359% in the fourth quarter, ending with 5,806 shares valued at about $1.49 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, while also raising guidance for Q3 2026.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share and continues to see bullish analyst sentiment, including multiple higher price targets and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 359.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,806 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,541 shares during the period. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $418.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.79. The stock has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a PE ratio of 46.67, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $534.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $480.13.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing optimism that earnings and demand can continue to improve. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support AI chip demand, which investors see as a sign of long-term growth and capacity discipline. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, underscoring confidence in cash flow and capital returns. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor equipment stocks also hit record highs, adding sector-wide momentum behind AMAT. Applied Materials, other chip gear stocks hit record highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Some traders also focused on the company’s large Singapore expansion costs, which briefly pressured the shares as investors balanced near-term spending against future AI demand. Applied Materials Bets $500 Million On Singapore As AI Chip Demand Grows

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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