Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 9,615 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westerkirk Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.3% in the fourth quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. now owns 36,400 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $9,354,000 after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $683,000. TIAA Trust National Association grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 43,766 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $11,249,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 208,201 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $53,505,000 after purchasing an additional 10,567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,973,661 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $764,201,000 after purchasing an additional 22,401 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $534.44. The stock has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $418.73 and a 200 day moving average of $348.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $480.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.