Gary Dickerson Sells 71,727 Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CEO Gary Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock traded up $24.69 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $592.92. The company had a trading volume of 11,009,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,645,653. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $436.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $358.14. The company has a market cap of $470.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $623.35.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 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, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp upped 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $489.16.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi’s higher price target and broader optimism around AI spending are fueling demand for semiconductor equipment stocks, with AMAT singled out as a beneficiary. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled SENZ, a fully integrated visual system for next-generation smart glasses, expanding its addressable market beyond semiconductor tools and into AI/AR hardware infrastructure. Applied Materials shares jump on launch of integrated AR smart glasses system
• Positive Sentiment: Its Semiconductor Systems segment is still benefiting from AI-driven chip investments, with record revenue and strength in advanced packaging pointing to continued momentum in 2026. Can AMAT’s Semiconductor Systems Segment Sustain Momentum in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: A long-term partnership with EssilorLuxottica to develop AR optics and AI-powered smart eyewear gives AMAT another growth narrative and supports the view that the company is building new revenue streams. EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials Join Forces to Advance Augmented Reality Optics Platforms for Next-Generation Smart Glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces argue that semiconductor equipment suppliers are capturing outsized value in the AI supply chain, reinforcing a favorable industry backdrop for AMAT. Why Semiconductor Equipment Suppliers Are Crushing Their Customers in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary notes AMAT’s valuation has become stretched, which could make the stock more vulnerable if AI demand or analyst enthusiasm cools. Applied Materials valuation tops dot-com peak

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.