Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 48.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,170 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,186,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth about $1,589,000. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 333.3% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares in the last quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.0% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after purchasing an additional 28,982 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.0%

AMAT stock opened at $404.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $475.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $487.09. The firm has a market cap of $321.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry research projects the global e-beam wafer-inspection systems market will expand from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $3.6 billion by 2030. Increasingly complex semiconductor nodes, higher yield requirements and AI-driven data processing could support long-term demand for Applied Materials’ inspection-related equipment. E-Beam Wafer Inspection Systems Market Forecasts Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was recognized as a 2027 Conference Board Innovation Awards honoree, highlighting its technology development efforts, although the award is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. The Conference Board Announces Innovation Awards Honorees
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: some firms continue raising earnings estimates and maintain price targets substantially above the current level. However, other analysis questions whether the company’s AI growth opportunity is already priced in after its strong one-year performance. Applied Materials Cratered 20% Since July
• Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials experienced approximately $58.8 million in net ETF selling on October 15, adding technical pressure and potentially contributing to the latest weakness. Applied Materials Sees Net ETF Selling
• Negative Sentiment: The decline occurred despite broader market gains, indicating investors may be locking in gains and reassessing AMAT’s elevated valuation following its strong advance. Recent results were solid—revenue rose 24.8% year over year and EPS exceeded consensus—but those positives may already be reflected in the share price. Applied Materials Stock Sinks as Market Gains

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Craig Hallum upped their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.