Townsquare Capital LLC Decreases Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Townsquare Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 63.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,234 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 7,261 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,088,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 359.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,806 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 4,541 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Applied Materials by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 102,510 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,344,000 after purchasing an additional 26,148 shares in the last quarter. RM Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $1,323,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 228,062 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $58,610,000 after purchasing an additional 49,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First American Trust FSB boosted its position in Applied Materials by 143.9% during the fourth quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 9,614 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,471,000 after purchasing an additional 5,673 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price target for the company. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $480.13.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $534.44. The stock has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $418.73 and a 200-day moving average of $348.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Applied Materials Company 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.