Cane Capital Partners LLC Takes $479,000 Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Cane Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,865 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $354.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $348.22 and a 200 day moving average of $285.11. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.50 and a 52 week high of $395.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Summit Insights raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating and lifted its price target on AMAT from $470 to $500, increasing street confidence in AMAT’s upside and supporting buy-side flows. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/industry pieces highlight AMAT as one of the top AI-infrastructure plays (a “pick-and-shovel” beneficiary) alongside peers like Lam and Micron, reinforcing the narrative that sustained AI chip ramping supports WFE revenues. Forget NVIDIA: 2 AI Stocks Poised to Be Next Big Winners
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML’s expanding installed‑base/service business and continued EUV-driven upgrades signal broader capital intensity in the equipment ecosystem—a supportive backdrop for AMAT but not a direct company-specific catalyst. ASML’s Installed Base Business Gains Traction: What’s Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other market roundups note rising investor attention on AMAT; that increases liquidity and interest but is informational rather than fundamental news. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: General market caution articles about momentum stocks warn that rapid rallies in semiconductor names can see sharp pullbacks—this raises short‑term valuation risk for highly rated equipment stocks like AMAT. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.