Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by WealthPlan Investment Management LLC

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 14.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 22,689 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,834 shares during the quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,602,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after buying an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,252,863,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $637.14.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its EPIC Center, a planned semiconductor research and development hub involving Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The facility is intended to accelerate chip innovation and could strengthen AMAT’s strategic position as AI drives demand for more advanced manufacturing. Applied Materials Unveils $5 Billion EPIC Center for Semiconductor R&D
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Ventures invested in Flexcompute’s Physics World Model AI platform, supporting faster and more accurate semiconductor design and materials simulations. The initiative could improve chip-development efficiency and create longer-term opportunities for Applied Materials. Applied Materials Backs AI Physics Modeling Push
• Positive Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and assigned a $600 price target, while other analyst commentary cited positive earnings-estimate revisions and potential upside. Investors are also weighing AMAT’s history of earnings beats and strong demand for AI-related wafer-fabrication equipment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Thirty-one exchange-traded funds added AMAT shares on October 13, indicating continued institutional exposure, although the purchases have not offset the recent selling pressure. 31 ETFs Add to Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: The main catalyst for the selloff was investor-day guidance that some investors viewed as uncertain or insufficiently ambitious for 2030. Concerns included the lack of clearer near-term financial targets and questions surrounding the stated $5 billion EPIC Center investment. Why Applied Materials Sank Today
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was also pressured by profit-taking across semiconductor-equipment stocks after a powerful AI-driven rally. Weakness in chip shares, including a sharp decline in South Korea’s KOSPI, intensified the sector-wide risk-off move. Semiconductor Equipment Stocks Slide

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $18.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $428.41. 5,530,248 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,854,423. The stock has a market capitalization of $339.99 billion, a PE ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $485.07 and a 200 day moving average of $484.96. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

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.