Sit Investment Associates Inc. Trims Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sit Investment Associates Inc. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 108,274 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 7,210 shares during the quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $27,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aviva PLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 695,740 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $178,798,000 after purchasing an additional 35,632 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services increased its position in Applied Materials by 11,160.0% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,126 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares during the period. RKL Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,427 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its position in Applied Materials by 266.8% during the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 11,526 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 8,384 shares during the period. Finally, Sepio Capital LP acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $231,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upped their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $422.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $351.11. The stock has a market cap of $438.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $557.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop and helping reinforce the stock’s upside momentum. Top 5 Strong Buy Stocks to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, citing continued investment in new chip supply and AI infrastructure demand. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of high-bandwidth memory and broader AI hardware spending, which supports long-term semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is One Of the Best High-Bandwidth Memory Stocks To Buy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new $500 million Singapore manufacturing expansion is being viewed as a strategic move to support AI chip demand and expand capacity for future growth. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

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.