Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,740 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $31,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.3% in the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the second quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during 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 in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 5.9% in the second quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 13.0% in the second quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Craig Hallum upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $640.20.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its $5 billion EPIC Center in Sunnyvale, California, a collaborative research facility involving customers and partners including Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The center is intended to shorten chip-development cycles and accelerate the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies. Applied Materials’ $5 billion AI lab aims to cut chip development time in half
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted opportunities to gain more than two percentage points of semiconductor-equipment market share by 2030, grow eBeam equipment revenue to approximately $2 billion in 2026 and increase semiconductor-services revenue to more than $12 billion by 2030. These targets support the long-term AI and advanced-node investment thesis. Applied Materials Set to Outperform as AI Drives Sustained Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Ventures invested in Flexcompute, supporting an AI platform that uses physics-based modeling to speed semiconductor design, simulation and materials prototyping. The initiative could improve customer workflows and create strategic benefits over time. Applied Materials Backs AI Physics Modeling Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an $850 price target, implying substantial upside, but the bullish view has not offset near-term investor concerns. Erste Group also made only a modest increase to its FY2027 EPS forecast while retaining a “Hold” rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader semiconductor-equipment group sold off amid profit-taking after a strong year, weakness in Asian chip stocks and caution ahead of U.S. inflation data. AMAT’s valuation—about 40 times earnings—leaves the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI spending or earnings expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appeared disappointed by the clarity and detail of Applied Materials’ 2030 outlook. Reports indicate that management’s long-term guidance did not fully match elevated expectations, while an omitted metric or target at investor day was interpreted by some investors as a potential sell signal. Why Applied Materials Sank Today

Applied Materials Trading Down 6.7%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $464.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.02, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $486.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $484.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week 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. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Profile

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.