Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Holdings Lowered by Sound Shore Management Inc. CT

Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 280,589 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 118,650 shares during the period. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $72,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $470.13.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.2%

AMAT stock opened at $500.77 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $508.26. The firm has a market cap of $397.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $404.70 and its 200-day moving average is $339.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

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.