Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Naples Global Advisors LLC

Naples Global Advisors LLC lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,467 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,201 shares during the quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Income Insurance Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $641,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, Ballast Rock Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,343,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.1%

Applied Materials stock opened at $435.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm has a market cap of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $438.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $371.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.19.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective 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. HSBC started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.90.

Applied Materials 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.