Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Sells 29,789 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 308,190 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 29,789 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 1.3% of Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $79,203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $370.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 4.1%

AMAT opened at $410.83 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $371.10 and its 200-day moving average is $311.19. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.47 and a 1-year high of $432.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $326.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy and $500 price target, calling Applied one of the best?positioned wafer fab equipment suppliers — a clear bullish endorsement for long?term AI/advanced packaging demand. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Applied agreed to buy the NEXX business from ASMPT, adding panel?level advanced packaging tools and engineering teams that strengthen its AI chip packaging lineup — a strategic M&A move supporting revenue mix expansion. Applied Materials Expands AI Packaging With NEXX Deal As Stock Surges
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly raised its price target ahead of earnings, adding to a wave of bullish analyst commentary that can underpin the stock into the report. Morgan Stanley upgrades Applied Materials stock price target pre-earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews and consensus models show Wall Street expects earnings growth and position AMAT to possibly beat on the upcoming report, which can produce a post?earnings rally if results and guidance are strong. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Technically, AMAT recently moved above its 20?day moving average, signaling short?term bullish momentum that can attract momentum traders. Applied Materials (AMAT) Just Overtook the 20-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will participate in investor conferences this month — useful for incremental color on demand, but not an immediate catalyst unless new guidance or surprises emerge. Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor and AI infrastructure coverage highlights strong sector tailwinds (SOXX/SMH/FTXL themes) that benefit AMAT over the medium term but also keep it tied to cyclicality in capex. Semiconductor Leaders SOXX, SMH, and FTXL Are Crushing It on AI Infrastructure Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted AMAT fell more than the broader market on the day, pointing to profit?taking and pre?earnings positioning as drivers of near?term volatility — a reminder that a strong run leaves the stock vulnerable to pullbacks. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions persist — coverage noting a P/S near 9.4x and the stock’s large YTD gain could limit upside and increase sensitivity to any guidance miss. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock at a P/S Valuation of 9.39X?

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.