Weaver Capital Management LLC Invests $472,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Weaver Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,836 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $472,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% during 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% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 361.8% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 34,837 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,378,000 after purchasing an additional 27,294 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied introduced two deposition systems built for 2nm and beyond (Precision Selective Nitride PECVD and Trillium ALD), aimed at Angstrom‑era logic nodes and GAA transistors — a clear revenue/capacity catalyst if customers scale adoption. Applied Materials Introduces Deposition Systems for Angstrom-Era Logic Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: multiple outlets report a strong intraday rally after the product launch, reflecting investor enthusiasm that AMAT can capture more AI/advanced‑logic equipment spending. Applied Materials surges as it unveils new chipmaking systems
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support: Goldman Sachs named Applied Materials a top semiconductor pick, which can attract incremental institutional flows and bolster sentiment. Goldman Sachs Names Teradyne (TER), Applied Materials (AMAT), AMD (AMD) as Top Semiconductor Picks
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend/financial signal: recent coverage highlights a company payout increase (board raised quarterly dividend), reinforcing cash‑return discipline and appealing to income‑oriented investors. Here’s What Makes Applied Materials (AMAT) an Unstoppable Technology Stock to Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro tailwind: broader market softened on geopolitics early but turned bullish on an Iran ceasefire, helping chip names including AMAT as risk sentiment improved. Dow Jones Futures Fall, Oil Prices Rise After Iran Ceasefire Rally. Google, Nvidia Partner Lead 7 New Buys
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/positioning debate: analyst pieces question whether recent gains already price in growth (views range from “buy and hold” to cautious on stretched multiples), so future upside may depend on execution and order flow. Applied Materials Just Launched a New Chipmaking System. Should You Buy AMAT Stock Here?
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term risk: coverage reminding investors that stocks that have doubled fast can see sharp pullbacks if order timing or end‑market demand disappoints — a cautionary signal for momentum traders. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $385.72 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $349.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $306.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $128.60 and a 52-week high of $395.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

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.