Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Philadelphia Trust Co. Trims Stake

Philadelphia Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,010 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. Philadelphia Trust Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMG National Trust Bank raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 2,297 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 78.0% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,039 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,554,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. MKP Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $4,347,000. D.B. Root & Company LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 26.1% during the third quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 1,713 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $876,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the period. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.3% during the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 938 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price objective (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $625.76.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.5%

AMAT stock opened at $372.53 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $295.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $441.30 and its 200 day moving average is $445.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity could drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced-packaging equipment, creating a potential growth opportunity for Applied Materials. The Next AI Chip Shortage May Be the Machines That Make HBM
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its price target to $475 from $700 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving substantial implied upside from the cited share price. B. Riley Cut Its Applied Materials Target to $475. It Still Sees 28% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened volatility rather than a clear directional view. Investors will be watching results and the company’s outlook. Why Options Traders Expect a Major Post-Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: A technical analysis article says AMAT is nearing a “death cross” after a steep retreat from its high, which could signal further downside if the bearish pattern forms. Applied Materials Stock: Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs sold about $200.2 million of Applied Materials shares on Friday, adding a short-term source of selling pressure. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Applied Materials

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.