Rep. John McGuire Acquires Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares

Representative John McGuire (Republican-Virginia) recently bought shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT). In a filing disclosed on August 10th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Applied Materials stock on July 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH SEP IRA” account.

Representative John McGuire also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) on 7/31/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 7/14/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 7/10/2026.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $525.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.35, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $561.46 and a 200 day moving average of $441.34.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,869,170,000 after purchasing an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $86,610,000 after buying an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 78.7% during the 4th quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 5,984,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,537,913,000 after acquiring an additional 2,635,284 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ artificial-intelligence and data-center exposure remains a key bullish factor. Industry demand for increasingly powerful chips continues to support semiconductor-equipment makers, and several analysts view AMAT’s technology portfolio and earnings outlook favorably. AMAT to Post Q3 Earnings: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: UC Berkeley is joining Applied Materials’ EPIC Center, expanding collaboration on semiconductor research, process integration and faster commercialization. The partnership could strengthen AMAT’s innovation pipeline and customer relationships over time. UC Berkeley to Join Applied Materials’ EPIC Center to Speed Chip Innovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting the fiscal Q3 report due after Thursday’s close. Consensus expectations cited in the coverage call for approximately $9 billion in revenue and $3.39 in adjusted EPS, making the report and guidance important near-term catalysts. Here’s How Much Applied Materials Stock Is Expected to Move After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair initiated coverage with a “Market Perform” rating, while another report cited a Hold stance. Analysts acknowledge strong AI-driven fundamentals but warn that AMAT’s valuation and competitive risks limit upside. Analyst Maintains Hold on Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: The recent decline reflects pre-earnings caution and uncertainty over whether results and forward guidance can justify the stock’s premium valuation. Traders are debating a wide potential post-earnings move, increasing near-term volatility risk. Applied Materials Earnings Preview

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $603.23.

About Representative McGuire

John McGuire (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

McGuire (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

John McGuire was born in Richmond, Virginia. McGuire graduated from Henrico High School. He served as a U.S. Navy Seal from 1988 to 1998. His professional experience includes founding SEAL Team Physical Training Inc.

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.