Notis McConarty Edward Boosts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Notis McConarty Edward raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 38.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,341 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,963 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.7% of Notis McConarty Edward’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Notis McConarty Edward’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $436.36 and a 200 day moving average of $358.14. The company has a market capitalization of $451.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.35, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $600.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.03.

About Applied Materials

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.