Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Truist Financial Corp

Truist Financial Corp cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 26.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 311,954 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 110,176 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $63,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 68.9% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 179 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2%

AMAT opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $344.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $267.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $276.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.36.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.Applied Materials’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised Applied Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $250.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after forecasting a “significant acceleration” in wafer fab equipment (WFE) upgrades, a direct demand driver for Applied Materials’ tools and services. This upgrade supports a more bullish revenue outlook for 2026. AMAT stock: Mizuho sees ‘significant acceleration’ in WFE, upgrades rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and media pieces are positioning AMAT as a top pick for 2026, arguing the stock still has upside as secular demand for semiconductor capacity drives multi-year spending. This boosts investor confidence in the growth story. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a shortage it can’t meet—an indication of strong demand vs. constrained supply that tends to support pricing power and order books. Media amplification of that view can lift sentiment. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: AMAT recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and provided upbeat Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance (1.98–2.38), supporting the case that earnings momentum underpins the rally. (Company reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for late January appears inconsistent (records showing zeros and NaN changes); current public figures don’t give a clear signal on bearish positioning or squeeze risk. Analysts and traders should treat the short-interest prints cautiously.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail and search interest noted by Zacks — attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental by itself. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

About Applied Materials

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.