Savant Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Savant Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 13.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,754 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,451 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,604,002,000. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $1,409,320,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Applied Materials by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,483,183,000 after acquiring an additional 5,700,349 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1,704.0% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,439,598 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $499,483,000 after purchasing an additional 2,304,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 417.3% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,732,015 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $317,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,397,217 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target sharply to $400 (from $250) and reiterated a Buy ahead of earnings, signaling increased analyst confidence and likely supporting buying interest. Citi Jumps Applied Materials (AMAT) Target Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research (Zacks) expects AMAT to beat estimates, highlighting the company’s revenue/earnings mix as favorable — a potential short-term catalyst that can lift the stock on an upside surprise. Applied Materials (AMAT) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also flags AMAT as a strong momentum stock, which can attract momentum-driven flows into the shares ahead of a likely volatility event (earnings). Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: An earnings release and investor event are scheduled for Feb. 12; this is the immediate catalyst and will drive intraday moves depending on results and guidance. Applied Materials (AMAT) to Release Earnings on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures appear to be a data glitch (showing 0 shares and NaN changes), so there’s no clear short-covering signal from that dataset at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage flagged a sharp pullback tied to export-control uncertainty despite robust AI-driven equipment demand — a reminder that geopolitical/export risks can quickly reverse sentiment if guidance or commentary raises red flags. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Down 11.6% After AI-Driven Equipment Demand Meets Export-Control Uncertainty

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $322.51 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $288.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.21. The company has a market cap of $255.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.16, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $344.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $405.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $315.15.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the 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 represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.