Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CAO Sells $394,806.00 in Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $520.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $488.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $480.57. The stock has a market cap of $413.19 billion, a PE ratio of 44.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 price objective (up from $650.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Argus set a $600.00 price target on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials and Intel expanded their collaboration on next-generation transistors, interconnects and advanced packaging for AI chips. Work at Applied’s EPIC Center and Intel’s R&D facilities could strengthen AMAT’s position in increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing. Applied Materials and Intel Collaborate to Accelerate Chipmaking Innovations for AI-Driven Computing
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators continue to identify AMAT as a beneficiary of AI-related demand for advanced chips, memory and packaging. Its recent partnerships and exposure to wafer-fabrication equipment support expectations for durable growth, while its latest reported quarter showed revenue growth of 24.8% year over year and an earnings beat. 4 Top Chip Stocks With Dependable Earnings to Ride the AI Boom
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT remains favored by many analysts, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and price targets above recent trading levels. Institutional ownership is also substantial, at approximately 80.6%, and major investors increased holdings in recent periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with NVIDIA highlight AMAT’s role as an equipment provider rather than a chip designer: NVIDIA has much larger revenue, free cash flow and margins, while AMAT offers more direct exposure to semiconductor manufacturing-capital spending. Applied Materials vs. Nvidia: What Revenue Trends Reveal About These Artificial Intelligence Companies
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a key near-term concern after AMAT’s roughly 144% 12-month gain. A forward P/E above 23 and price-to-sales ratio near 9.6 leave the stock vulnerable to profit-taking if AI spending expectations or semiconductor-equipment demand disappoint. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock at a P/S Valuation of 9.59X?
• Negative Sentiment: A chief accounting officer sold 725 shares to cover tax withholding related to equity vesting. The transaction was relatively small and appears administrative, but it adds modest selling pressure and investor attention around insider activity. Applied Materials CAO Sells 725 Shares of Stock

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.