Sigma Planning Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sigma Planning Corp raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 11.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 13,881 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,415 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,745,000 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. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 218.8% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary suggested AI-driven semiconductor equipment spending could stay elevated for years, strengthening confidence in Applied Materials’ multiyear demand outlook. Applied Materials CEO Just Reinforced the AI Investment Thesis. How to Play AMAT Stock Here.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on AMAT, citing strong demand commentary and expecting EPS growth of more than 36% over the next year. Mizuho Raises PT on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a key AI infrastructure and “picks-and-shovels” play, with articles arguing the stock could continue trending higher alongside AI hardware spending. Applied Materials: The Picks-and-Shovels Play in an AI Era Will Continue to Trend Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also pointed to a 10-year AI packaging partnership with TSMC and a Buy rating from Bernstein, both of which support the bull case for long-term demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Lands 10 Year TSMC AI Packaging Partnership Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes the stock has already run sharply over the past six months, so investors may be weighing whether much of the AI optimism is already priced in. 2 Reasons to Watch AMAT and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor strength and lower inflation also helped sentiment across AI hardware names, including AMAT, KLA, and Teradyne. Applied Materials, KLA Corporation, and Teradyne Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $579.43 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $528.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $410.12. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a market capitalization of $460.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.41, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

About Applied Materials

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.