Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Holdings Lowered by Leelyn Smith LLC

Leelyn Smith LLC decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,163 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 966 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.4% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.56.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly bullish on Applied Materials, with Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy and other recent research highlighting AMAT as a key beneficiary of the AI semiconductor equipment cycle. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Applied Materials is benefiting from accelerating growth in AI-related chip demand, with record earnings momentum and a new Street-high target reinforcing the bull case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials also discussed DRAM and advanced packaging innovations tied to AI-driven semiconductor growth, which supports the view that its product mix remains well positioned for the current cycle. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles question whether AMAT is becoming too expensive after its rally, suggesting valuation concerns could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Michael Burry reportedly added to short bets against Applied Materials and other chip names, adding a bearish sentiment overlay on the semiconductor sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two recent stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still owns a large position. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks, including AMAT, also came under pressure in broader sector selloffs as investors worried that AI-driven chip demand may be cooling and took profits after a strong rally. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $603.04 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $499.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $390.89. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $478.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.62, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. 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 payout ratio is 19.91%.

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.