Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $6.69 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,032 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,258 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,846,800 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $731,598,000 after buying an additional 80,985 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,798 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 401,889 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $103,281,000 after purchasing an additional 21,395 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 13,387 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,440,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 48,768 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,533,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $381.17 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.71 and a 12-month high of $420.50. 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 has a market capitalization of $302.50 billion, a PE ratio of 39.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $367.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.78.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Summit Insights raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $368.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley expresses a more optimistic outlook for semiconductor capital spending and is bullish on Applied’s positioning, providing a near-term analyst tailwind that could support the stock if capex demand reaccelerates. B. Riley Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT); Sees Better Outlook for Semiconductor Capital Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnership news — Advantest joining Applied’s EPIC platform and opening an Innovation Center — strengthens Applied’s ecosystem play across front-end process and back-end test, a structural positive for long-term revenue and differentiation. Is Advantest’s EPIC Tie-Up Reshaping the Long-Term Investment Case for Applied Materials (AMAT)?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker commentary remains generally constructive (average brokerage recommendations and a recent Erste upgrade), which supports conviction among longer-term investors even as headlines create volatility. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Commerce Department ordered chip-equipment firms to halt some shipments to China’s Hua Hong, and Applied was among companies receiving restriction letters — a direct near-term revenue risk for tools sales into China. U.S. halts chip equipment shipments to China’s Hua Hong
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sell-off (spurred by reports that OpenAI missed growth targets and sector rotation) is weighing on AMAT alongside peers, amplifying volatility and driving short-term downside. What Is Going On With Applied Materials Stock On Tuesday?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: Middle East tensions pushed oil higher and contributed to risk-off trading that pressured tech and chip stocks broadly. US Equity Markets End Lower as Chipmakers Slide, Middle East Tensions Lift Oil

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.