Noble Wealth Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Noble Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,250 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,627,000. Applied Materials makes up about 1.4% of Noble Wealth Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $658.45.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.3%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $454.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $533.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $460.59. The company has a market capitalization of $360.86 billion, a PE ratio of 39.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.82 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 231,692 shares of company stock worth $146,114,059 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven equipment demand remains the main catalyst. Growth in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), along with accelerating global fab investment, is strengthening the outlook for Applied Materials’ equipment orders. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Raised forecasts have driven a major valuation re-rating. Although trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%, management reportedly increased its forecast twice between February and August as semiconductor demand expectations improved. That forward-growth story helps explain the stock’s roughly 180% one-year return. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple On Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations are improving. UBS projected strong potential appreciation for AMAT, while another analyst raised the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate, signaling continued confidence in earnings growth and semiconductor capital spending. UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Applied Materials FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a key debate. Despite a recent pullback, AMAT has gained about 237% over five years, leaving investors questioning how much AI and semiconductor-cycle optimism is already reflected in the shares. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Industry-cycle risks have not disappeared. Optimism about a permanently stronger semiconductor cycle is tempered by potential memory-capacity imbalances, which could pressure chipmakers’ capital spending if supply expands faster than demand. SEMIs CEO Has Watched Four Decades of Chip Cycles

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.