Advisory Services Network LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 19.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,688 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,996 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.74.

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.0%

AMAT stock opened at $259.21 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $236.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $199.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. The firm has a market cap of $206.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $276.10.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.