Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,600 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Latest Applied Materials News

Here’s some of the latest news about AMAT:

• Positive Sentiment: Chip-equipment stocks are rebounding ahead of Applied Materials’ earnings, with investors watching for signs that AI investment is translating into stronger equipment orders. A broader sector recovery is providing support for AMAT. Article: Applied Materials Rallies Ahead of Earnings as Chip Stocks Rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity points to expectations of a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened uncertainty rather than a clear directional bet. Article: Ahead of Applied Materials Earnings, What Barchart Data Says
• Negative Sentiment: Technical analysis has highlighted a possible “death cross” and a longer-term downtrend, which could weigh on sentiment if earnings or guidance disappoint. Article: Applied Materials Stock Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $395.08 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $440.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $445.52. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $313.54 billion, a PE ratio of 34.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $625.76.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.