CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 19.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the first quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hoxton Planning & Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $650.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $491.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $386.97. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.80 billion, a PE ratio of 61.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $553.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.