Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 189,257 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 43.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 245,155 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 189,257 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $50,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $325.24 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $266.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $220.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $257.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $331.00.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on AMAT. Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target sharply to $390 (from $260) and maintained a Buy — a sizable, high-profile upgrade that supports upside for the shares. Needham raises AMAT price target
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest in AMAT has fallen significantly, reducing near-term bearish pressure and making upward moves easier to sustain. Short interest decrease
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and other banks are lifting price targets across large tech names, a backdrop that can lift AMAT via sector re-rating and inclusion in bullish analyst notes. Goldman Sachs raises targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are reframing AMAT as an AI-toolchain winner (AI-driven beats shifting the investment narrative), which supports higher long-term demand but leaves timing and magnitude open to debate. AI-fueled narrative analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with ASML highlight AMAT’s broader exposure (HBM, NAND, packaging) versus ASML’s EUV specialization — a diversification story that may appeal to investors preferring multi-node exposure over a single-technology play. AMAT vs ASML comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media rundowns reiterate AMAT’s Q3 positioning relative to other semiconductor-equipment names — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Q3 Rundown
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/“too late” concerns after a ~72% one-year surge — several articles question whether gains are already priced in, which could cap upside for risk-averse investors or trigger profit-taking. Valuation concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces urging investors to “ignore the China drama” and buy AMAT emphasize durable end-market demand (AI, memory), supporting the bullish thesis. Buy thesis coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad “spotting winners” lists include AMAT as a candidate among semiconductor-manufacturing plays — helpful for sentiment but not a direct fundamental catalyst. Spotting winners

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.