Candriam S.C.A. Trims Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 179,467 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 102,015 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $36,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third 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 during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $273.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.15.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.5%

Applied Materials stock opened at $330.57 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $289.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.84. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $344.60. The company has a market cap of $262.38 billion, a PE ratio of 38.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.70. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during 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%.Applied Materials’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 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.