UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Cuts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,185 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,314 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $435.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $371.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.47 and a fifty-two week high of $438.04.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Twenty-eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.90.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

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.