Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,466 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,805 shares during the period. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. F m Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $285,000. Financial Partners Group Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $228,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 244,908.6% in the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 369,963 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $96,179,000 after acquiring an additional 369,812 shares in the last quarter. Burr Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Burr Financial Services LLC now owns 28,739 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,386,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 16,797 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,317,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.90.
Insider Activity
In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Trending Headlines about Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Shares of AMAT stock opened at $435.18 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $153.47 and a one year high of $438.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $371.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.66.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Increases Dividend
The firm 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 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s 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.
See Also
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