Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Down 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) shares fell 1.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $259.78 and last traded at $259.97. 2,180,453 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 7,576,625 shares. The stock had previously closed at $263.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Craig Hallum restated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup raised their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.78.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.2%

The firm has a market cap of $206.14 billion, a PE ratio of 29.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.19.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Davis Selected Advisers grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 12.0% during the third quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 5,553,992 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,137,124,000 after buying an additional 596,399 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 7,209 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,476,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 10,724 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,196,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd increased its stake in Applied Materials by 52.1% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 12,596 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,579,000 after buying an additional 4,316 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.