Stance Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Stance Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 69.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,626 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 17,731 shares during the period. Stance Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Bank of America upgraded Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.74.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $259.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $276.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $199.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, 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 transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.