Balboa Wealth Partners Sells 5,465 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Balboa Wealth Partners lowered its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 68.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,554 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 5,465 shares during the period. Balboa Wealth Partners’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 16.1% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,899 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,003,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $202,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 14,496 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,968,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% during the third quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 10,985 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $420.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.03.

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.1%

AMAT opened at $354.91 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $295.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.72. The firm has a market cap of $281.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $376.32. 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 (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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 38.52%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.