XML Financial LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

XML Financial LLC reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,508 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,491 shares during the quarter. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 34.8% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $695 and maintained a Buy rating, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade reflects continued confidence in Applied Materials’ semiconductor-equipment business. Tickerreport.com article
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group lifted its FY2027 earnings-per-share forecast to $18.56 from $17.13. Although the firm retained a Hold rating, the higher estimate suggests improving expectations for long-term demand and profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to describe Applied Materials’ longer-term prospects favorably, with the company viewed as a beneficiary of semiconductor and artificial-intelligence infrastructure investment. Comparisons with Corning also highlight AMAT’s exposure to the chip-manufacturing equipment side of the AI supply chain. Corning versus Applied Materials article
• Negative Sentiment: Higher oil prices and a global bond selloff pushed the 10-year Treasury yield toward 4.79%. Rising yields increase corporate financing costs and reduce the present value of future earnings, creating pressure on higher-valuation technology and semiconductor stocks. Semiconductor stocks trade down article
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reassessed expensive growth stocks in response to the jump in long-term interest rates. Applied Materials’ elevated valuation and relatively high market sensitivity make it vulnerable to this risk-off rotation. Semiconductor stocks slide article

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $441.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $544.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $459.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $350.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 281,692 shares of company stock worth $171,378,059 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $658.45.

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.