Fulton Bank N.A. Reduces Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Fulton Bank N.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,768 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,640 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Applied Materials by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $21,149,000 after acquiring an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive on Applied Materials, with Erste Group raising FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates and Cantor Fitzgerald lifting its price target to $850 while keeping an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Applied Materials as a major beneficiary of AI-driven chip spending, with the stock hitting all-time highs and posting its best monthly rally since 1975, supported by stronger earnings expectations and improved sentiment across semiconductor equipment names.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary noted that chip stocks were the main laggard even as most equities moved higher, suggesting sector rotation rather than company-specific fundamentals may have pressured AMAT.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical analysts warned that Applied Materials had become extremely overbought and could be due for a reversal after its steep surge, which may have contributed to profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary E. Dickerson disclosed two stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares over June 29-30, a move that can weigh on sentiment even though he still retains a very large stake.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AMAT. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $553.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $650.91 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $491.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $386.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.80 billion, a PE ratio of 61.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Applied Materials 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.