Moran Wealth Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 20.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,971 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 12,750 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 8,492 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,903,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Baer Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $325,000. First Dallas Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,427,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 46,343 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $15,840,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 631,762 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $215,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $603.04 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week 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. The company has a market capitalization of $478.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.62, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $499.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $390.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 19.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly bullish on Applied Materials, with Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy and other recent research highlighting AMAT as a key beneficiary of the AI semiconductor equipment cycle. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Applied Materials is benefiting from accelerating growth in AI-related chip demand, with record earnings momentum and a new Street-high target reinforcing the bull case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials also discussed DRAM and advanced packaging innovations tied to AI-driven semiconductor growth, which supports the view that its product mix remains well positioned for the current cycle. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles question whether AMAT is becoming too expensive after its rally, suggesting valuation concerns could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Michael Burry reportedly added to short bets against Applied Materials and other chip names, adding a bearish sentiment overlay on the semiconductor sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two recent stock sales totaling more than 78,000 shares, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still owns a large position. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks, including AMAT, also came under pressure in broader sector selloffs as investors worried that AI-driven chip demand may be cooling and took profits after a strong rally. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $553.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company 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.