Assetmark Inc. Has $70.51 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 344,377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,759 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $70,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.4%

AMAT stock opened at $328.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $260.71 billion, a PE ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $344.60. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.24.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AMAT. Craig Hallum reissued a “hold” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $385.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $275.00 to $390.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised Applied Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $250.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.15.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat — AMAT reported $2.38 EPS and $7.01B revenue, topping consensus and demonstrating healthy margins and profitability that underpin investor confidence. Applied Materials (AMAT) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong forward guidance — management set Q2 FY2026 EPS guidance (2.440–2.840) and revenue targets above Street expectations, signaling continued demand for semiconductor equipment driven by AI processors. This guidance is the key driver of the after‑hours rally. Applied Materials forecasts second-quarter sales above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI and industry positioning — analysts and commentary point to accelerating AI/HPC capex (DRAM, advanced logic, packaging) and recurring service revenue as structural growth drivers; several firms have raised targets and reiterated Buy ratings ahead of the print. How to Read Applied Materials Earnings: What Signals Move the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships — Samsung agreed to join AMAT’s new $5B EPIC R&D center, reinforcing customer relationships and R&D scale that support long-term demand and product leadership. Applied Materials Announces Samsung Electronics Will Join the New, Multibillion-Dollar EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory closure reduces uncertainty — the DOJ and SEC have closed related investigations without action, which removes a material legal overhang and clarifies near-term risk. That reduced uncertainty likely helped investor reaction even though a settlement was paid. Applied Materials Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: $252.5M export settlement — AMAT agreed to pay $252.5M to the U.S. Department of Commerce to resolve alleged export-control violations for certain shipments to China (Nov 2020–Jul 2022). The payment is a one‑time hit and raises compliance/controls questions, though management frames the resolution as in shareholders’ best interest. Applied Materials to pay $252 million to resolve illegal chip exports, US says

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.