JT Stratford LLC Has $3.15 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

JT Stratford LLC lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,398 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,752 shares during the quarter. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of AMAT opened at $357.76 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $323.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $253.74. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $283.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month 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 the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Susquehanna raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. 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 MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials 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.