CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Sells 1,228 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 19.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,228 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deltec Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. Balentine LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $415,000. Whelan Financial grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 1,754 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $73,000. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 166,069 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $56,761,000 after acquiring an additional 5,409 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 10.0%

Shares of AMAT opened at $650.91 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $516.80 billion, a PE ratio of 61.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.56. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $491.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $386.97.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive on Applied Materials, with Erste Group raising FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates and Cantor Fitzgerald lifting its price target to $850 while keeping an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Applied Materials as a major beneficiary of AI-driven chip spending, with the stock hitting all-time highs and posting its best monthly rally since 1975, supported by stronger earnings expectations and improved sentiment across semiconductor equipment names.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary noted that chip stocks were the main laggard even as most equities moved higher, suggesting sector rotation rather than company-specific fundamentals may have pressured AMAT.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical analysts warned that Applied Materials had become extremely overbought and could be due for a reversal after its steep surge, which may have contributed to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary E. Dickerson disclosed two stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares over June 29-30, a move that can weigh on sentiment even though he still retains a very large stake.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.56.

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.