WoodTrust Financial Corp Cuts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

WoodTrust Financial Corp lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 57,389 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,770 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 3.6% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $29,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% in the third quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX now owns 23,950 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,248,000 after purchasing an additional 778 shares during the last quarter. Market Street Wealth Management Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.6% in the third quarter. Market Street Wealth Management Advisors LLC now owns 547 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 30,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $15,903,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 234,612 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $119,976,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT traded down $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $508.49. 1,364,243 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,856,992. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $403.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $488.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $481.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor innovation partnership: Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering will collaborate at the EPIC Center to accelerate the transition of semiconductor research into commercial manufacturing. The initiative could strengthen Applied’s technology pipeline and customer relationships. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: AI and services momentum: Analysts say Applied’s Applied Global Services (AGS) business is benefiting from AI-related demand, recurring revenue and increasing semiconductor-factory utilization, supporting potential growth through 2030. Can Applied Materials Sustain Momentum in Its AGS Business?
• Positive Sentiment: Customer capital spending supports demand: A former Applied Materials executive said TSMC’s potential capital spending of up to $64 billion may still be insufficient to meet chip demand. Sustained foundry investment would support orders for Applied’s wafer-fabrication equipment. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Improving revenue trajectory: Comparisons with Qualcomm and Marvell indicate that Applied’s revenue growth accelerated during the first half of 2026, improving its position among AI-related semiconductor companies. Applied Materials vs. Qualcomm
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendation: The average brokerage recommendation suggests adding AMAT to portfolios, but the report cautions that sell-side analysts can be overly optimistic. Investors may want to weigh the consensus against valuation and company fundamentals. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Recent underperformance: Applied Materials declined more than the broader market in the latest session, indicating continued sensitivity to semiconductor-sector sentiment and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Coverage linked the recent decline to insider sales, which can raise concerns about management confidence even when the transactions may be routine or unrelated to business fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.