Sen. Markwayne Mullin Sells Off Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) recently sold shares of Applied Materials, Inc. NASDAQ: AMAT. In a filing disclosed on May 12th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $50,001 and $100,000 in Applied Materials stock on April 8th.

Senator Markwayne Mullin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Texas Instruments NASDAQ: TXN on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of CSX NASDAQ: CSX on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Lam Research NASDAQ: LRCX on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Chevron NYSE: CVX on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific NYSE: TMO on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Zoetis NYSE: ZTS on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of ConocoPhillips NYSE: COP on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Adobe NASDAQ: ADBE on 4/8/2025.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Valero Energy NYSE: VLO on 4/8/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Capital One Financial NYSE: COF on 3/19/2025.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $174.75. 12,091,396 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,842,671. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The business's fifty day moving average is $148.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.09. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the manufacturing equipment provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 24.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. B. Riley cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 392.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 443 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 178,748 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $29,070,000 after purchasing an additional 10,081 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 33.8% in the 4th quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,479 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.1% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 45,378 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $7,380,000 after purchasing an additional 16,851 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson acquired 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

About Senator Mullin

Markwayne Mullin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. He assumed office on January 11, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Mullin (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oklahoma. He won in the special general election on November 8, 2022. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and one of four Native American members of the 116th Congress. At the age of 20, Mullin took over his father's plumbing business. He is also a former professional mixed martial artist. Markwayne Mullin graduated from Stilwell High School. Mullin earned an associate degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. His career experience includes owning and founding multiple businesses.

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.