Townsquare Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Townsquare Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,495 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,993 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of AMAT opened at $341.34 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $279.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $270.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $344.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT to Outperform, raising its price target to $370 (from $275), citing a projected acceleration in WFE spending that should lift orders and equipment demand. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials to Outperform as WFE spending accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc and Goldman Sachs are publicly backing AMAT (KeyBanc raised its target to $380), highlighting multi?year semiconductor tailwinds, diversified product exposure, and rising deposition/etch intensity that support higher share demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gains Analyst Support as Multi-Year Semiconductor Tailwinds Take Shape
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (Jim Cramer) pointed to structural supply tightness for AMAT’s tools, reinforcing a narrative of sustained orders and pricing leverage. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple analyst roundups and media pieces are amplifying recent upgrades and price-target increases, increasing investor attention and trading volume but adding no new company-specific data. Top Analyst Reports for Applied Materials, Linde & Abbott
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ analyst blog flagged rising trade frictions and cost pressures that could blunt margins or delay some capital spending, a reminder that macro and geopolitical risks could weigh on upside. Applied Materials leads Zacks’ latest Analyst Blog, with strong semiconductor momentum offset by rising trade and cost pressures

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.14.

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.