StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,253 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,664,000. Applied Materials comprises approximately 1.1% of StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,589,000. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Applied Materials by 29.6% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $632.01.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.0%

AMAT opened at $332.71 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $444.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.66. The company has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.