Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,913 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,817 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,913 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 1.0% of Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $36,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.23.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly optimistic about AMAT, with consensus price targets implying additional upside. Citi reportedly identified Applied Materials as a top semiconductor pick following the sector’s selloff, while other coverage highlights the company’s strong position in deposition, etch, inspection and wafer-processing equipment. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Applied Materials Stock Will Climb or Sink?
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A potential Tesla-SpaceX “Terafab” buildout, along with rising demand for AI chips, advanced packaging and memory, could create additional opportunities for Applied Materials. Tesla-SpaceX Terafab Bet
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for the August 13 report are favorable: analysts anticipate earnings growth and a potential beat. Applied Materials’ previous quarter exceeded consensus on both earnings and revenue, with revenue up 11.4% year over year, providing a constructive comparison for the upcoming release. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are pricing a potentially large earnings move, reportedly around 11%. That highlights significant event risk: a strong report and outlook could extend the rally, but merely meeting high expectations may not be enough. Options Market and AMAT’s Earnings Move
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its rating on AMAT to Hold. The downgrade adds pressure after the stock’s strong rebound and reinforces concerns that substantial AI optimism is already reflected in the valuation. Applied Materials Rating Lowered to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Investor Michael Burry’s disclosed short positions in AI-linked semiconductor names, including Applied Materials, have revived concerns about an AI-stock reversal and heightened volatility. As Burry Targets AI Chip Names

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.2%

Applied Materials stock opened at $539.14 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $428.06 billion, a PE ratio of 50.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.61. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $559.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $437.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% 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.