Sound Shore Management Inc CT Acquires 34,722 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sound Shore Management Inc CT raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 399,239 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 34,722 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 2.7% of Sound Shore Management Inc CT’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Sound Shore Management Inc CT’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $81,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction 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 $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reached a civil settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and says DOJ and SEC closed related probes — the outcome removes legal uncertainty and lets management refocus on growth. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive: RBC reiterated Outperform and other firms (B. Riley, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank) have raised ratings/targets, supporting upside expectations into earnings. Royal Bank Of Canada Reiterates “Outperform” Rating for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley recently raised its AMAT price target to $400 (reaffirmed Buy), reflecting confidence in strong FY‑Q1 results and AI-driven demand. B. Riley Raises Applied Materials Price Target to $400
• Positive Sentiment: Applied unveiled new deposition/etch/ALD systems (Viva, Sym3 Z Magnum, Spectral) targeted at 2nm GAA logic — tools are being adopted by leading foundries and address AI compute demand. Applied Materials Unveils Transistor and Wiring Innovations for Faster AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Samsung will join Applied’s new $5B EPIC R&D center — a strategic partnership that strengthens customer ties and long-term equipment demand. Applied Materials Announces Samsung Electronics Will Join the New, Multibillion-Dollar EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and demand backdrop: previews point to strong wafer‑fab and display strength driven by AI, but valuation is elevated after the recent rally ahead of Q1 results. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notes are mixed/confusing in data feeds (recent reporting shows large changes and low days-to-cover); not a clear near-term driver. Quiver Quant Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Applied agreed to pay $252.5M to the Dept. of Commerce for alleged export non‑compliance (Nov 2020–Jul 2022) — a material one‑time charge that will hit cash/earnings for the period and raises questions about past compliance controls. Applied Materials to pay $252 million to resolve illegal chip exports, US says (Reuters)

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $339.88 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $269.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.16, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $292.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $344.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America raised their price target on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Susquehanna raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and raised their target price for the company from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.15.

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.