Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CFO Brice Hill Sells 5,000 Shares

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.8%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $369.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $293.12 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a fifty day moving average of $300.66 and a 200 day moving average of $240.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $376.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.04.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and guidance — AMAT beat Q1 estimates and management gave aggressive growth guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar‑2026 sales and strong Q2 revenue outlook), which has driven analyst target‑price increases and renewed optimism among investors. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate revisions — Zacks bumped AMAT to a Strong Buy and published commentary noting upward earnings‑estimate revisions, supporting near‑term upside expectations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity — unusually big call buying (≈97,138 calls, ~+231% vs. typical daily volume) suggests traders are positioning for further upside or protecting long exposure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events — Applied Materials confirmed management will appear at upcoming investor conferences (opportunity for further detail/Q&A but not an immediate earnings surprise). Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some publications note conflicting analyst views on AMAT amid sector rotation and valuation debates; this creates variable near‑term sentiment even as fundamentals look strong. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Technology Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears unreliable — reports show zero/NaN short interest and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover metric, which is likely a reporting anomaly and not meaningful for positioning today.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares for ~$1.8M, trimming his stake by ~3.5%; while routine insider sales often fund personal liquidity, some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.