Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Sterling Capital Management LLC Trims Stake

Sterling Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,039 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,032 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $1,589,000. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 19,886 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic investment expands AI and materials exposure. Applied Ventures, Applied Materials’ venture-capital arm, invested in Albert Invent, an AI platform for chemical and materials research. The deal could strengthen Applied’s exposure to software-enabled materials discovery and support longer-term innovation. Albert Invent Welcomes Applied Ventures as Investor
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate revision was modestly favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $18.67 from $18.59, although it maintained a “Hold” rating. The increase suggests some confidence in Applied Materials’ longer-term earnings outlook. Erste Group estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related semiconductor investment remains a growth catalyst. Advanced logic, DRAM and advanced-packaging spending is supporting the company’s Semiconductor Systems business, with potential benefits to revenue growth and margins. Can Semiconductor Systems Drive AMAT’s Next Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF demand provided a technical-support signal. Reports indicated approximately $102.1 million of net ETF buying in Applied Materials, suggesting continued institutional interest, though ETF flows do not necessarily change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees $102.1 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for November 12. The upcoming earnings report will be an important catalyst for assessing demand, margins and management’s outlook. Applied Materials to Report Fourth-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Lam Research’s outlook pressured the entire equipment group. Lam’s comments that its outlook would be only “a bit higher,” alongside supply constraints, triggered concerns that growth may not accelerate as quickly as expected. Applied Materials and other chip-equipment stocks declined in sympathy. Applied Materials Sinks on Lam’s Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Relative analysis favors Lam Research. Analysts cited stronger memory growth and customer-support momentum at Lam, giving it an edge over Applied Materials in the wafer-fabrication-equipment market and potentially limiting AMAT’s near-term appeal. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which Stock Has an Edge?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, New Street Research lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $1.66 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $377.24. 6,908,789 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,877,334. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $467.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $486.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

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.