2,760 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Purchased by M Holdings Securities Inc.

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,760 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,411,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,589,000. CX Institutional raised its position in Applied Materials by 333.3% in 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. raised its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% in 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 boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 29.6% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor equipment stocks rallied broadly, with Applied Materials among the leaders, as investors rotated back into chip-related names after the sector’s recent sell-off. Applied Materials Jumps Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are looking to continued AI-related chip-equipment demand, advanced packaging growth and rising memory investment to support AMAT’s outlook in its upcoming quarterly report. Analysts remain broadly optimistic, and B. Riley maintained a Buy rating despite lowering its price target. AMAT to Post Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The rally comes ahead of a closely watched earnings report, which could set the direction for the shares. The company’s outlook will be important in gauging whether demand can sustain the recent recovery. Applied Materials Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Risks include supply concerns ahead of earnings and valuation: one analysis argues the stock may be above fair value after its substantial longer-term advance. Any cautious guidance or signs of weaker demand could undermine the rebound. Applied Materials Stock Looks Above Fair Value

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Craig Hallum lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $625.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 11.4%

Shares of AMAT opened at $370.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $294.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $443.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $444.89. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS 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 company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.