Motiv8 Investments LLC Sells 1,959 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Motiv8 Investments LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,480 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,959 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 0.9% of Motiv8 Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Motiv8 Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,412 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $877,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 365.2% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 565,405 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $143,291,000 after buying an additional 443,868 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% during the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 18,505 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,756,000 after buying an additional 8,347 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $567.25 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $427.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $353.48. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $569.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.03.

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.