South Plains Financial Inc. Trims Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

South Plains Financial Inc. reduced its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 37.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,047 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,816 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $337.27 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $395.95. The company has a market cap of $267.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $333.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.55.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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 EPS for the current year.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board-approved 15% quarterly dividend increase to $0.53 per share (payable June 11, 2026), marking the ninth consecutive year of raises and signaling strong free-cash-flow generation and shareholder-return commitment. Applied Materials Raises Quarterly Cash Dividend by 15 Percent
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term R&D partnerships announced with SK hynix and collaborations with Micron to accelerate next-gen DRAM/HBM for AI/HPC — strengthens AMAT’s addressable market in high-growth memory tooling. Applied Materials forges partnerships with Micron and SK Hynix for AI memory chips
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support and elevated price targets remain favorable (median targets well above current price, multiple recent buy/overweight calls), which can sustain upward momentum as analysts re-rate the AI/semi recovery. Goldman Sachs Raises Price Targets on 3 Tech Giants
• Neutral Sentiment: Takeover chatter linking AMAT (and Lam Research) to BE Semiconductor Industries (BESI) has lifted M&A speculation — potential strategic moves could be positive but remain unconfirmed and speculative. BE Semiconductor Industries (BESI) Stock Soars on Takeover Buzz From Lam Research and Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional activity reported (large adds and large trims among major funds) — indicates divergent positioning among large investors rather than a clear directional shift. Applied Materials Board Approves 15% Increase in Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Broader chip-sector weakness tied to geopolitical/oil-risk shocks has pressured peer stocks (NVIDIA, Broadcom, Micron), which can transmit volatility to AMAT despite company-specific positives. Nvidia, Broadcom, Micron Fall as Oil Risk Sends Shockwaves Through Tech
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling activity over recent months and a high payout ratio (company has returned nearly 90% of free cash flow via dividends and buybacks) may raise governance/Capital-allocation concerns for some investors. Applied Materials Board Approves 15% Increase in Quarterly Cash Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.46.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.