R Squared Ltd Buys Shares of 1,611 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,611 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% during the first quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 7,874 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,691,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Sather Financial Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $215,000. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $243,000. Finally, Signet Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Signet Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum stock list for July 7, which may support investor interest in the name. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for July 7th
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Applied Materials to $647 from $502, signaling continued analyst confidence even though the firm kept an equal-weight rating. Applied Materials Given New $647.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs also lifted its target on AMAT to $645, helping drive a broader chip-stock rally earlier in the session. 2 Chip Stocks Driving Today’s Rally With Lofty Bull Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AI-related product momentum remains a theme after it unveiled the SENZ platform to speed smart-glasses development, reinforcing its positioning in AI-enabled hardware. Applied Materials Unveils AI-Powered SENZ Platform to Accelerate Smart Glasses Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted AMAT as a popular and “best stocks on the rise” candidate, but these pieces are largely sentiment-driven rather than tied to a specific new operational catalyst. Is Applied Materials One of the Best Stocks on the Rise to Invest In?
• Negative Sentiment: Chip stocks, including Applied Materials, were pressured by a broader semiconductor selloff after Samsung earnings triggered risk-off trading across the group. Intel and Applied Materials Dive 10%, AMD Craters 8% as Samsung Earnings Trigger Chip Selloff

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $569.65.

Applied Materials Stock Down 8.5%

NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $50.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $542.60. 5,710,242 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,267,771. The firm has a market cap of $430.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $499.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $391.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

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.