Puzo Michael J Purchases 7,916 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Puzo Michael J increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 85.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,212 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,916 shares during the period. Puzo Michael J’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.1%

AMAT opened at $369.83 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $376.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $302.65 and a 200-day moving average of $241.35. The stock has a market cap of $293.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,609 shares of company stock worth $2,914,628. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.04.

About Applied Materials

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.