Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Cardinal Capital Management Inc.

Cardinal Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 45.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 101,688 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 85,994 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 1.8% of Cardinal Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $73,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 183.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 376,513 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $96,760,000 after purchasing an additional 32,136 shares during the period. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong grew its position in Applied Materials by 204.8% in the 4th quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $36,177,000 after buying an additional 94,587 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain key bullish catalysts. Jim Cramer highlighted Applied Materials alongside Lam Research and KLA as beneficiaries of data-center memory bottlenecks and expected demand for chipmaking equipment. The company’s broad technology portfolio and exposure to AI infrastructure continue to support the long-term growth case. Jim Cramer semiconductor equipment analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings expectations have improved. A report indicated that an analyst raised the fiscal 2027 EPS forecast, while pre-earnings estimates call for approximately $9 billion in quarterly revenue and $3.39 in EPS. These expectations imply continued year-over-year growth and could support the shares if management delivers or raises guidance. Applied Materials EPS forecast update
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials expanded its chip-innovation ecosystem. UC Berkeley will join the company’s EPIC Center, giving researchers access to industry-scale equipment and process-integration capabilities. The collaboration could accelerate semiconductor research and commercialization, although the financial benefit is longer term. UC Berkeley joins Applied Materials EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are anticipating a significant earnings-related move. Traders expect substantial volatility around Thursday’s results, as investors assess revenue, EPS, margins, orders and fiscal 2026 guidance. Applied Materials expected earnings move
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competitive risks are limiting enthusiasm. William Blair initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating, citing strong AI-driven fundamentals but arguing that valuation and competition cap upside. With a trailing P/E near 49, the stock may require an earnings beat and constructive outlook to regain momentum. William Blair Applied Materials rating

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $525.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $417.31 billion, a PE ratio of 49.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $561.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $441.34. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Bank of America boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.23.

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.