Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Grows Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,753 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,163 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $354.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $376.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $295.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.38.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 38.52%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Craig Hallum restated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. UBS Group set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.03.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.