Insider Selling: Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CEO Sells $40,845,695.56 in Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CEO Gary Dickerson sold 58,321 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $700.36, for a total value of $40,845,695.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,619,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,134,473,243.48. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Applied Materials Trading Down 10.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $72.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $650.91. 16,010,266 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,232,627. The company’s 50-day moving average is $486.16 and its 200-day moving average is $384.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.12, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Applied Materials, with Erste Group Bank raising FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates and maintaining a Buy rating, while Cantor Fitzgerald also lifted its price target to $850 and kept an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: The company has benefited from strong AI infrastructure spending and a broader rally in chip equipment stocks, helping fuel a record-setting run and a massive June gain. Article: Stock Of The Month: Applied Materials Notches Best Rally Since 1975
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary continues to frame AMAT as a key AI chip-equipment beneficiary, with multiple articles highlighting record highs and strong fundamentals, including better-than-expected quarterly results and upbeat guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Some traders are warning the stock may be overbought after its outsized run, and technical commentary suggests a reversal could happen after the sharp surge. Article: Stock Of The Day: Is This The Top For Applied Materials?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market coverage noted that chip stocks were a weak spot even as the market moved higher, which may be pressuring sentiment around semiconductor names like Applied Materials. Article: Meta, CoreWeave, Salesforce, Corning, Bending Spoons, and More Stocks That Explain Today’s Market

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Argus increased their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. 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, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $553.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.