Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc.

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 31.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,812 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,682 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $5,252,863,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $86,610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,167 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,512,287,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,746,769,000 after buying an additional 1,558,749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 price objective (up from $650.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% 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: Applied Materials and Intel announced expanded collaboration on next-generation transistors, interconnects and advanced packaging for AI chips. The work will involve Applied’s $5 billion EPIC Center and Intel’s Oregon R&D campus, potentially strengthening AMAT’s position in advanced chip manufacturing. Applied Materials and Intel Collaborate to Accelerate Chipmaking Innovations for AI-Driven Computing
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains bullish on AMAT’s exposure to AI-driven wafer-fabrication equipment, advanced memory and packaging. Analysts and industry reports cite durable semiconductor demand, record growth in Applied Global Services and capacity expansion as potential drivers of further upside. Zacks Industry Outlook Applied Materials, Lam Research and FormFactor
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT’s latest reported quarter showed strong execution: revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. The company also provided fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $3.82 to $4.22. Several analysts maintain buy or strong-buy ratings, with a reported consensus price target of $640.20.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is elevated, with multiple reports examining bullish theses, options activity and AMAT’s position versus Lam Research and KLA. However, these articles provide sentiment and market-interest signals rather than new financial results.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is demanding after a reported 143.9% one-year gain. AMAT trades at roughly 9.6 times sales and around 45 times earnings, leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking or disappointment. Compared with Nvidia, Applied Materials has lower revenue growth momentum and profitability, including a reported 24.7% net margin versus Nvidia’s 55.6%.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Adam Sanders sold 725 shares for approximately $394,806, reducing his holdings by 18.56%. The sale was described as being made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, making it a limited—but still slightly negative—signal.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ AMAT traded down $9.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $520.65. 3,774,575 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,896,988. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $488.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $480.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $413.19 billion, a PE ratio of 44.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The company’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. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.