Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) SVP Timothy Deane Sells 8,621 Shares of Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) SVP Timothy Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $592.92 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $441.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $360.55. The company has a market cap of $470.75 billion, a PE ratio of 55.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $623.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials benefited from a Citi target increase and broader enthusiasm around AI infrastructure spending, with investors viewing the company as well-positioned for sustained demand in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
• Positive Sentiment: The company unveiled SENZ, a new integrated visual system for next-generation smart glasses, and announced a long-term partnership with EssilorLuxottica, creating a potential growth avenue beyond its core chipmaking tools business. EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials Join Forces to Advance Augmented Reality Optics Platforms for Next-Generation Smart Glasses
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted strong fundamentals, record results, and optimism that Applied Materials is a key beneficiary of the AI equipment super-cycle, reinforcing the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials: The Cheapest Seat On The AI Equipment Super-Cycle
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson, sold shares totaling about $65 million, which can raise questions about near-term valuation even though the sales were relatively small versus their remaining holdings. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson sold 71,727 shares at about $593.75 per share, adding to the day’s insider-sale headlines and potentially putting some pressure on sentiment. Gary Dickerson Sells 71,727 Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $489.16.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $21,149,000 after purchasing an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $45,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.