2,032 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,039 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,032 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.9% during the second quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 13.0% during the second quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AMAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded up $1.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $377.24. The stock had a trading volume of 6,908,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,877,334. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $467.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $486.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.52, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.60.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. 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: Strategic investment expands AI and materials exposure. Applied Ventures, Applied Materials’ venture-capital arm, invested in Albert Invent, an AI platform for chemical and materials research. The deal could strengthen Applied’s exposure to software-enabled materials discovery and support longer-term innovation. Albert Invent Welcomes Applied Ventures as Investor
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate revision was modestly favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $18.67 from $18.59, although it maintained a “Hold” rating. The increase suggests some confidence in Applied Materials’ longer-term earnings outlook. Erste Group estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related semiconductor investment remains a growth catalyst. Advanced logic, DRAM and advanced-packaging spending is supporting the company’s Semiconductor Systems business, with potential benefits to revenue growth and margins. Can Semiconductor Systems Drive AMAT’s Next Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF demand provided a technical-support signal. Reports indicated approximately $102.1 million of net ETF buying in Applied Materials, suggesting continued institutional interest, though ETF flows do not necessarily change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees $102.1 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for November 12. The upcoming earnings report will be an important catalyst for assessing demand, margins and management’s outlook. Applied Materials to Report Fourth-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Lam Research’s outlook pressured the entire equipment group. Lam’s comments that its outlook would be only “a bit higher,” alongside supply constraints, triggered concerns that growth may not accelerate as quickly as expected. Applied Materials and other chip-equipment stocks declined in sympathy. Applied Materials Sinks on Lam’s Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Relative analysis favors Lam Research. Analysts cited stronger memory growth and customer-support momentum at Lam, giving it an edge over Applied Materials in the wafer-fabrication-equipment market and potentially limiting AMAT’s near-term appeal. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which Stock Has an Edge?

About Applied Materials

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.