PeakShares LLC Takes $1.05 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

PeakShares LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,083 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,054,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $560.93 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $531.23 and a 200-day moving average of $412.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $445.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.67, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67. 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 issued its 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Barclays lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $570.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $593.84.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials continues to benefit from AI-driven semiconductor spending, and management recently reinforced the view that this investment cycle could stay elevated for years, supporting a multiyear growth outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts still see meaningful EPS growth ahead, with recent commentary highlighting strong demand trends and a higher price target from Mizuho, which can help sustain investor confidence in AMAT. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around AMAT’s valuation is becoming more cautious, with one report saying the stock appears to be trading above fair value even though earnings look roughly reasonable, suggesting limited upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the strong recent rally, some commentary frames Applied Materials as a long-term AI infrastructure winner, but also notes that new buyers are paying up after a very large five-year advance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are the main drag on sentiment today: investors may be questioning whether Applied Materials’ strong AI demand story is already fully priced into the shares after the recent surge. Article Title

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.