Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Reduces Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH cut its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 445,323 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 33,119 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 0.8% of Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $152,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Down 6.2%

Shares of AMAT opened at $626.84 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $669.22. The company has a market capitalization of $497.69 billion, a PE ratio of 58.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $473.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $377.36. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Barclays upped their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.19.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials introduced new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, expanding its role in AI chip manufacturing and potentially boosting future demand. Applied Materials Introduces New Systems to Accelerate DRAM and Advanced Packaging for AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said AMAT’s event highlighted strong opportunities in DRAM and advanced packaging, reinforcing the company’s AI-driven growth narrative. Applied Materials’ event focuses on DRAM, and advanced packaging: analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive, with analysts still confident in Applied Materials’ strong competitive position. AMAT stock gets thumbs up from Wall Street – analysts remain confident about Applied Materials’ strong market position
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage suggests the stock may be looking expensive after its recent rally, which could limit near-term upside even if the long-term AI story stays intact. Applied Materials stock looks pricey—can AI demand justify the rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: One analysis noted that Applied Materials’ aggressive investment strategy may pressure cash flow in the near term, even though it supports longer-term growth. Can AMAT’s Investment Strategy Lift Future Cash Flow Growth?

Applied Materials Company 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.