WoodTrust Financial Corp Sells 2,770 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

WoodTrust Financial Corp lowered its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,389 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,770 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 3.6% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $29,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX raised its position in Applied Materials by 3.4% in the third quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX now owns 23,950 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,248,000 after acquiring an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Market Street Wealth Management Advisors LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 4.6% in the third quarter. Market Street Wealth Management Advisors LLC now owns 547 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 30,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $15,903,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 234,612 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $119,976,000 after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Evercore upped their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $640.20.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor innovation partnership: Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering will collaborate at the EPIC Center to accelerate the transition of semiconductor research into commercial manufacturing. The initiative could strengthen Applied’s technology pipeline and customer relationships. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering Accelerate Semiconductor Innovation at the EPIC Center
• Positive Sentiment: AI and services momentum: Analysts say Applied’s Applied Global Services (AGS) business is benefiting from AI-related demand, recurring revenue and increasing semiconductor-factory utilization, supporting potential growth through 2030. Can Applied Materials Sustain Momentum in Its AGS Business?
• Positive Sentiment: Customer capital spending supports demand: A former Applied Materials executive said TSMC’s potential capital spending of up to $64 billion may still be insufficient to meet chip demand. Sustained foundry investment would support orders for Applied’s wafer-fabrication equipment. TSMC Plans Up to $64 Billion in Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Improving revenue trajectory: Comparisons with Qualcomm and Marvell indicate that Applied’s revenue growth accelerated during the first half of 2026, improving its position among AI-related semiconductor companies. Applied Materials vs. Qualcomm
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage recommendation: The average brokerage recommendation suggests adding AMAT to portfolios, but the report cautions that sell-side analysts can be overly optimistic. Investors may want to weigh the consensus against valuation and company fundamentals. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Recent underperformance: Applied Materials declined more than the broader market in the latest session, indicating continued sensitivity to semiconductor-sector sentiment and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Coverage linked the recent decline to insider sales, which can raise concerns about management confidence even when the transactions may be routine or unrelated to business fundamentals. Applied Materials Stock Falls After Insider Selling

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.2%

Applied Materials stock traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $508.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,364,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,856,992. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $488.90 and its 200 day moving average is $481.64. The company has a market cap of $403.54 billion, a PE ratio of 43.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.