Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 2,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $888,000.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. First American Bank increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. First American Bank now owns 39,283 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $13,427,000 after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.2% in the first quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 6,654 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,274,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the period. Christensen King & Associates Investment Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $234,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 26,152 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,938,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity
In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 199,767 shares of company stock valued at $114,104,709. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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 predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $509.65.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Applied Materials
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, including tools for higher-yield chip stacking and wafer metrology, strengthening its position in AI chip manufacturing. Applied Materials Introduces New Systems to Accelerate DRAM and Advanced Packaging for AI Chips
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary has turned more upbeat, with Wells Fargo raising its price target sharply and other coverage pointing to continued strength in semiconductor equipment demand and AI infrastructure spending. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) the Best All-Time High Stock with Legs to Rally Further?
- Positive Sentiment: Broader AI-chip optimism also helped sentiment across the sector, with Micron-led strength reinforcing the idea that memory and chip-equipment names could benefit from the next leg of AI spending. Micron Sparks Fresh AI Stock Rally
- Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data showed no meaningful bearish positioning change, so this does not appear to be a driver of the stock move. Applied Materials stock information
Applied Materials 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.
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