Silvant Capital Management LLC Sells 115,375 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Silvant Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,890 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 115,375 shares during the quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 681.1% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 101,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $18,491,000 after purchasing an additional 88,073 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AMAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Announced a long?term collaboration with Micron to develop next?generation DRAM, HBM and NAND at Applied’s $5B EPIC Center — this strengthens U.S. AI memory innovation and could drive equipment demand. Applied Materials and Micron Partner To Advance U.S. Innovation in Next?Generation AI Memory Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Announced a long?term R&D partnership with SK hynix to accelerate advanced DRAM and HBM development, with engineers colocated at Applied’s EPIC Center — another direct client engagement that can convert to equipment sales and process wins. Applied Materials and SK hynix Announce Long?Term R&D Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Markets reacted favorably — media reported a ~2% intraday gain after the Micron and SK hynix deals, signalling investor enthusiasm for AMAT’s role in AI memory supply chains. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Gains on AI Memory Deals with Micron, SK Hynix
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group initiated coverage with a Hold rating — a reminder some sell?side analysts want to see proof of sustained order flow and margin leverage before upgrading. Erste Group Initiated Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) With a Hold Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street/industry coverage remains generally constructive but mixed — multiple pieces discuss AMAT’s AI opportunity and analyst optimism; these can support valuation but may already be priced in. Wall Street Analysts Think Applied Materials (AMAT) Is a Good Investment: Is It?
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation transcript from the Cantor conference is available — useful for incremental color on strategy and capital allocation but no major headline moves. Applied Materials Presents at 2026 Cantor Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite solid Q1 free cash flow, some outlets flagged recent profit?taking and an 11% pullback from highs — short?term investor sentiment and valuation rotation could pressure the stock until order momentum confirms. Applied Materials Q1 2026 Free Cash Flow Hit $1.04 Billion, So Why Is the Stock Sliding

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $345.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $274.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $329.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.38. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $395.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $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 is presently 18.83%.

About Applied Materials

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.