Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC

Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,270 shares during the period. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Down 6.7%

AMAT stock traded down $33.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $464.24. 10,850,355 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,864,086. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $486.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $484.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.42 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. 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 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials highlighted sustained AI-driven demand for wafer-fabrication equipment, targeting more than two percentage points of market-share gains by 2030. The company also expects semiconductor services revenue to exceed $12 billion by 2030 and eBeam equipment revenue to reach $2 billion in 2026. Applied Materials Set to Outperform as AI Drives Sustained Demand for Wafer Fab Equipment
• Positive Sentiment: The newly unveiled $5 billion EPIC Center in Silicon Valley is designed to accelerate semiconductor process and equipment development by bringing chipmakers, suppliers and universities together. The investment strengthens Applied Materials’ positioning in next-generation AI chip manufacturing. Applied Materials Unveils $5 Billion EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive: Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an $850 price target, while Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating with a $650 target. Applied Materials also continues to expand collaborations with major semiconductor companies, including Intel. Applied Materials Stock Sinks for 6th Day, but Cantor Sees 85% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials is attempting to use AI-driven productivity to support substantial revenue growth without proportionally increasing its workforce. That strategy could improve margins, but execution and the durability of AI capital spending remain important risks.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor reaction suggests the longer-term 2030 outlook was not sufficiently specific or robust for investors expecting stronger growth. An omission in the investor-day presentation was viewed by some commentators as a potential sell signal, particularly with the stock trading at roughly 40 times earnings. Why Applied Materials Sank Today
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor-equipment shares, including Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA, faced broad profit-taking after a strong AI-fueled run. A sharp decline in South Korea’s KOSPI and wider technology-sector weakness added to the selling pressure. Semiconductor Equipment Stocks Slide as Investors Take Profits

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $710.00 target price (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.