WealthShield Partners LLC Has $8.04 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

WealthShield Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,119 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,995 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises approximately 1.2% of WealthShield Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. WealthShield Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $484.19 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $384.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $560.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $453.08. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $675.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $659.83.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.