19,430 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 21.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 73,249 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 19,430 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $37,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,015,594 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,030,734,000 after acquiring an additional 52,386 shares in the last quarter. Genoa Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltda. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 143.0% in the 3rd quarter. Genoa Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltda. now owns 15,422 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,887,000 after purchasing an additional 51,273 shares during the period. Compound Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 period. DUTCH ASSET Corp grew its position in Applied Materials by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. DUTCH ASSET Corp now owns 3,334 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 6,021 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,079,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Evercore set a $590.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.0%

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

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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

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.