Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Acquired by Elevation Wealth Partners LLC

Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1,041.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,062 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 969 shares during the quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.3% in the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 21 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 equities analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Argus set a $600.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. UBS Group increased their target price on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. New Street Research cut their price target on Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $642.00 to $563.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials and Intel announced expanded collaboration on next-generation transistors, interconnects and advanced packaging for AI chips. The work will involve Applied’s $5 billion EPIC Center and Intel’s Oregon R&D campus, potentially strengthening AMAT’s position in advanced chip manufacturing. Applied Materials and Intel Collaborate to Accelerate Chipmaking Innovations for AI-Driven Computing
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains bullish on AMAT’s exposure to AI-driven wafer-fabrication equipment, advanced memory and packaging. Analysts and industry reports cite durable semiconductor demand, record growth in Applied Global Services and capacity expansion as potential drivers of further upside. Zacks Industry Outlook Applied Materials, Lam Research and FormFactor
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT’s latest reported quarter showed strong execution: revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. The company also provided fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $3.82 to $4.22. Several analysts maintain buy or strong-buy ratings, with a reported consensus price target of $640.20.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is elevated, with multiple reports examining bullish theses, options activity and AMAT’s position versus Lam Research and KLA. However, these articles provide sentiment and market-interest signals rather than new financial results.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is demanding after a reported 143.9% one-year gain. AMAT trades at roughly 9.6 times sales and around 45 times earnings, leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking or disappointment. Compared with Nvidia, Applied Materials has lower revenue growth momentum and profitability, including a reported 24.7% net margin versus Nvidia’s 55.6%.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Adam Sanders sold 725 shares for approximately $394,806, reducing his holdings by 18.56%. The sale was described as being made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, making it a limited—but still slightly negative—signal.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $9.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $520.65. The stock had a trading volume of 3,774,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,896,988. The firm has a market cap of $413.19 billion, a PE ratio of 44.88, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $488.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $480.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.