Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Trims Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 139,749 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 30,041 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.7% of Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $101,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Applied Materials by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,947,891,000 after acquiring an additional 373,012 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,746,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value 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. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain key bullish catalysts. Jim Cramer highlighted Applied Materials alongside Lam Research and KLA as beneficiaries of data-center memory bottlenecks and expected demand for chipmaking equipment. The company’s broad technology portfolio and exposure to AI infrastructure continue to support the long-term growth case. Jim Cramer semiconductor equipment analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings expectations have improved. A report indicated that an analyst raised the fiscal 2027 EPS forecast, while pre-earnings estimates call for approximately $9 billion in quarterly revenue and $3.39 in EPS. These expectations imply continued year-over-year growth and could support the shares if management delivers or raises guidance. Applied Materials EPS forecast update
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials expanded its chip-innovation ecosystem. UC Berkeley will join the company’s EPIC Center, giving researchers access to industry-scale equipment and process-integration capabilities. The collaboration could accelerate semiconductor research and commercialization, although the financial benefit is longer term. UC Berkeley joins Applied Materials EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are anticipating a significant earnings-related move. Traders expect substantial volatility around Thursday’s results, as investors assess revenue, EPS, margins, orders and fiscal 2026 guidance. Applied Materials expected earnings move
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competitive risks are limiting enthusiasm. William Blair initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating, citing strong AI-driven fundamentals but arguing that valuation and competition cap upside. With a trailing P/E near 49, the stock may require an earnings beat and constructive outlook to regain momentum. William Blair Applied Materials rating

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AMAT. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Mizuho upped their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.23.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.7%

AMAT stock opened at $525.61 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $561.46 and its 200 day moving average is $441.34. The company has a market capitalization of $417.31 billion, a PE ratio of 49.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued 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 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

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.