Occidental Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Occidental Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1,360.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,846 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,035 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.9% of Occidental Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.0%

Applied Materials stock opened at $496.21 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $564.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $450.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $393.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven demand outlook remains strong. JPMorgan maintained an Overweight rating and said Applied Materials’ semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related spending expected to account for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Product launches support advanced packaging and memory growth. New equipment aimed at AI-related chip production, advanced packaging and high-bandwidth memory could benefit Applied Materials as memory manufacturers increase capacity. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains constructive. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while recent research coverage and a Zacks Strong Buy momentum ranking provide additional near-term support for AMAT. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent results were strong but already appear reflected in expectations. Applied Materials reported record quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year, and exceeded earnings and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus next-quarter guidance has not prevented the stock from declining, indicating investors may be focused on valuation, positioning and broader sector concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional selling is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones liquidated his common-stock position and reportedly increased his put exposure. Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against AMAT, creating headline risk even though these trades do not necessarily represent a broad rejection of AI investment. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Chip-equipment stocks are facing a sector-wide selloff. Applied Materials, Lam Research and Teradyne have fallen together, raising concerns about semiconductor-cycle timing, customer capital-expenditure plans and whether AI expectations have become too optimistic. What Is Prompting the Selloff in Chip Equipment Stocks?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $659.83.

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.