Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,474,149 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 35,350 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $301,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $329.07 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $344.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $290.86 and a 200-day moving average of $233.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company unveiled advanced 2nm-era chipmaking systems (Viva, Sym3 Z Magnum, Spectral ALD) that customers are already adopting — a direct revenue/capex catalyst if foundries scale these tools into volume production. Applied Materials Unveils Transistor and Wiring Innovations for Faster AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in January (down ~14.6% to ~13.7M shares, ~1.7% of float), reducing a near-term bearish pressure on the stock and lowering squeeze risk metrics. (Data summary from entries)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street momentum: multiple firms (RBC, UBS and others) recently reiterated/raised targets and buy/outperform stances, underpinning investor confidence and supporting higher price targets (median ~$350; several in the $360–$400 range). UBS Lifts Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Target, Reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and price momentum: the stock has climbed ~8% over the last month and recently crossed above its 20-day moving average — signals that traders view the setup as bullish ahead of earnings. AMAT Climbs 8% in a Month
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings day uncertainty — traders expect a notable post-earnings move and some are anticipating continuation of the rally if guidance or commentary is strong; but consensus still models modest YoY revenue/EPS dips, so outcomes are binary. Here’s How Much Traders Expect Applied Materials Stock to Move After Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/preview caution: some previews flag that the recent rally stretched valuation and Q1 results could show year-over-year revenue softness despite AI tailwinds — a mixed read for longer-term upside. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity shows recent open-market sales by senior finance officers (multiple small sells), which some investors view as a mild negative signal ahead of earnings. (Data summary from entries)

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays upgraded shares of Applied Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $370.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.15.

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.