Alpha Wealth Funds LLC Acquires 2,200 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Alpha Wealth Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 169.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,500 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 0.5% of Alpha Wealth Funds LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Alpha Wealth Funds LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. BNP Paribas upgraded Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.78.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.0%

AMAT stock opened at $259.01 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $241.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $204.04. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $276.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

About Applied Materials

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.