ProShare Advisors LLC Has $234.44 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

ProShare Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,145,081 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 263,983 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $234,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 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. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $390.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $273.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $315.15.

Applied Materials Trading Up 6.1%

Applied Materials stock opened at $322.51 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $288.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $344.60. The stock has a market cap of $255.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.Applied Materials’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Applied Materials 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.