Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Fortem Financial Group LLC

Fortem Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,100 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 1.0% of Fortem Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Fortem Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $322.32 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $344.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.83 billion, a PE ratio of 37.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $227.23.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho set a $370.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.14.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT to Outperform and raised its price target to $370, citing accelerating WFE (wafer fab equipment) spending as a multi‑year tailwind. Mizuho Upgrades Applied Materials (AMAT) to Outperform on Global WFE Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Key analysts (including KeyBanc and others cited across outlets) have raised price targets (KeyBanc to $380) and highlighted AMAT’s diversified position in deposition/etch and benefits from increased chip manufacturing intensity. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials to Outperform as WFE spending accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Several buy‑side pieces (Seeking Alpha, analyst blogs) call AMAT an attractive buy into the upcoming Q1 report, pointing to semiconductor momentum and durable multi‑year tailwinds. Applied Materials: Attractive Buy Ahead Of The Q1 2026 Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity shows large institutional/speculative positioning (“whales”), which can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Traders should watch open interest and expiries. This Is What Whales Are Betting On Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry discussion is underway about AMAT’s ability to challenge ASML at the high end — a long‑term strategic theme that could support upside but is uncertain and execution‑dependent. Can AMAT Break ASML’s Monopoly?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights rising trade and cost pressures that could offset semiconductor momentum — a nearer‑term risk to margins and guidance that may be pressuring the stock today. Applied Materials leads Zacks’ latest Analyst Blog
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/valuation factors: AMAT has run sharply higher over the past year and now trades at an elevated multiple (PE and PEG above historical norms). Higher trading volume on the pullback suggests profit‑taking and short‑term selling pressure. (Background market data.)

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.