Judy Bruner Sells 1,000 Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $456.49 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $167.18 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $513.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $463.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $362.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,005,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $1,082,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $729,211,000 after purchasing an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the AI boom remains durable, citing customer orders that extend years into the future. Commentary from industry peers reportedly supports continued demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, strengthening the growth outlook for AMAT. Applied Materials AI demand outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.53 per share, payable December 10 to shareholders of record November 19. The payment follows a 15% dividend increase announced in March and signals continued confidence in cash generation. Applied Materials dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.50 versus a $3.40 consensus estimate and revenue of $9.12 billion versus $8.99 billion. Revenue increased 24.8% year over year, supporting the bullish AI and semiconductor-cycle narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor articles are comparing AMAT favorably with Intel because Applied Materials is profitable, has relatively low debt and supplies the equipment needed to build advanced chips. However, the stock’s roughly 39 price-to-earnings ratio leaves less room for execution disappointments. Applied Materials versus Intel comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of $658.45. Nonetheless, the wide range between bullish and bearish scenarios highlights uncertainty surrounding AI demand, semiconductor cyclicality and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares for approximately $465,000, reducing her holdings by 3.77%. She still retains a substantial position, so the transaction is a modest sentiment negative rather than a major change in insider conviction. SEC insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Risk-focused commentary notes that AMAT tends to amplify market moves. Its beta of 1.60 and elevated valuation could make the stock vulnerable if AI spending expectations weaken or broader technology shares pull back. Applied Materials volatility analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $658.45.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.