J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 186,490 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 13,106 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $63,661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Applied Materials Price Performance
AMAT stock opened at $602.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $517.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $403.30. The company has a market capitalization of $478.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.48.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Applied Materials
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
- Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
- Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
- Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
- Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.
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.
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