HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 33,492 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 462,820 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 33,492 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $94,761,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 8.1%

Applied Materials stock opened at $354.91 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $295.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.05. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $376.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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 recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $361.03.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.