Keybank National Association OH Sells 7,288 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Keybank National Association OH cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 109,572 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 7,288 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Pension Service grew its position in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,257,690 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $462,239,000 after purchasing an additional 56,147 shares during the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.5% in the third quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,107 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,865,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $802,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $354,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 135.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 5.6%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $322.32 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $344.60. The stock has a market cap of $255.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.23.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT to Outperform and raised its price target to $370, citing accelerating WFE (wafer fab equipment) spending as a multi‑year tailwind. Mizuho Upgrades Applied Materials (AMAT) to Outperform on Global WFE Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Key analysts (including KeyBanc and others cited across outlets) have raised price targets (KeyBanc to $380) and highlighted AMAT’s diversified position in deposition/etch and benefits from increased chip manufacturing intensity. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials to Outperform as WFE spending accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Several buy‑side pieces (Seeking Alpha, analyst blogs) call AMAT an attractive buy into the upcoming Q1 report, pointing to semiconductor momentum and durable multi‑year tailwinds. Applied Materials: Attractive Buy Ahead Of The Q1 2026 Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity shows large institutional/speculative positioning (“whales”), which can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Traders should watch open interest and expiries. This Is What Whales Are Betting On Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry discussion is underway about AMAT’s ability to challenge ASML at the high end — a long‑term strategic theme that could support upside but is uncertain and execution‑dependent. Can AMAT Break ASML’s Monopoly?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights rising trade and cost pressures that could offset semiconductor momentum — a nearer‑term risk to margins and guidance that may be pressuring the stock today. Applied Materials leads Zacks’ latest Analyst Blog
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/valuation factors: AMAT has run sharply higher over the past year and now trades at an elevated multiple (PE and PEG above historical norms). Higher trading volume on the pullback suggests profit‑taking and short‑term selling pressure. (Background market data.)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.14.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.24% 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.