Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CFO Brice Hill Sells 7,500 Shares of Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Brice Hill also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, June 3rd, Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%

Applied Materials stock traded up $2.60 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $482.36. 6,282,205 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,193,199. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $382.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $556.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $455.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. 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 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $740.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $657.76.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and semiconductor-industry experience could strengthen AMAT’s strategic oversight as chipmakers expand AI and advanced-computing capacity. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage continues to highlight an AI-driven growth cycle for AMAT. Demand is being supported by investment in advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, leading-edge logic and advanced packaging. The company’s latest quarter reinforced the theme, with revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year, and earnings per share of $3.50, ahead of consensus expectations. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into a Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Global Services is gaining momentum, with record revenue and improving margins. Subscription services, parts demand and higher semiconductor-factory utilization are supporting the company’s recurring-revenue profile. AMAT’s AGS Business Gains Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price targets imply substantial potential upside, while positive earnings-estimate revisions support the bullish case. However, target prices are forecasts rather than guaranteed catalysts, particularly after AMAT’s sharp recent decline and elevated valuation. Does Applied Materials Have Rally Potential?
• Negative Sentiment: China remains the main risk. Tighter export controls and the emergence of domestic Chinese immersion DUV lithography systems could pressure AMAT’s China sales and raise concerns about longer-term market share, although not all of its reported China revenue is necessarily threatened. Applied Materials’ China Problem Is Getting Worse

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% 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.