Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,170 shares during the period. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compound Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 525.0% in the 3rd quarter. Compound Global Advisors LLC now owns 250 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. DUTCH ASSET Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.0% in the third quarter. DUTCH ASSET Corp now owns 3,334 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 6.4% in the third quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 6,021 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,079,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5.8% in the third quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,516 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, 55 North Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 11.1% during the third quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.0%

Applied Materials stock opened at $404.98 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $321.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $475.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $487.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry research projects the global e-beam wafer-inspection systems market will expand from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $3.6 billion by 2030. Increasingly complex semiconductor nodes, higher yield requirements and AI-driven data processing could support long-term demand for Applied Materials’ inspection-related equipment. E-Beam Wafer Inspection Systems Market Forecasts Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was recognized as a 2027 Conference Board Innovation Awards honoree, highlighting its technology development efforts, although the award is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. The Conference Board Announces Innovation Awards Honorees
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: some firms continue raising earnings estimates and maintain price targets substantially above the current level. However, other analysis questions whether the company’s AI growth opportunity is already priced in after its strong one-year performance. Applied Materials Cratered 20% Since July
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials experienced approximately $58.8 million in net ETF selling on October 15, adding technical pressure and potentially contributing to the latest weakness. Applied Materials Sees Net ETF Selling
• Negative Sentiment: The decline occurred despite broader market gains, indicating investors may be locking in gains and reassessing AMAT’s elevated valuation following its strong advance. Recent results were solid—revenue rose 24.8% year over year and EPS exceeded consensus—but those positives may already be reflected in the share price. Applied Materials Stock Sinks as Market Gains

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Erste Group Bank cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $632.70.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.