Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Bill Few Associates Inc.

Bill Few Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 21.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,029 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 1.5% of Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $7,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor research, process development and commercialization. The collaboration could strengthen the company’s technology pipeline and relationships with chip manufacturers. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: Strong planned capital spending by TSMC—potentially reaching $64 billion—supports the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing-equipment suppliers. An Applied Materials veteran suggested TSMC may still need to invest more to meet demand, which could create additional opportunities for AMAT. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary points to improving momentum in Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services business, supported by AI-enabled services, recurring revenue and sustained fabrication-facility demand through 2030. Recent comparisons also indicate AMAT’s revenue growth trajectory has strengthened relative to Qualcomm and Marvell Technology.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: earnings and revenue exceeded consensus estimates, while revenue increased 24.8% year over year. Management’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings guidance also implies continued growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendations remain favorable, but the reports caution that average analyst ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a standalone buy signal. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest update reported zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, although the wording describing a “significant increase” appears inconsistent with the reported figures. The data therefore offers little reliable directional information.
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials underperformed the broader market in the latest session, falling about 2.1%. Reports also linked the weakness to insider selling, which can raise concerns about near-term sentiment even when it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: A member of Congress sold AMAT less than two months after purchasing it and missed a subsequent rally. While the transaction is not a fundamental development, the attention surrounding the sale may add to investor scrutiny. Congressman Sells Applied Materials Stock Before Recent Rally

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $640.20.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded down $2.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $507.03. 3,338,899 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,867,691. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $488.90 and its 200 day moving average is $481.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.