ProCore Advisors LLC Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

ProCore Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 2,186 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $562,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $354.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $348.22 and a 200-day moving average of $285.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market cap of $281.18 billion, a PE ratio of 36.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.50 and a 52-week high of $395.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, sell-side 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change 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 yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating and lifted its price target on AMAT from $470 to $500, increasing street confidence in AMAT’s upside and supporting buy-side flows. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/industry pieces highlight AMAT as one of the top AI-infrastructure plays (a “pick-and-shovel” beneficiary) alongside peers like Lam and Micron, reinforcing the narrative that sustained AI chip ramping supports WFE revenues. Forget NVIDIA: 2 AI Stocks Poised to Be Next Big Winners
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML’s expanding installed‑base/service business and continued EUV-driven upgrades signal broader capital intensity in the equipment ecosystem—a supportive backdrop for AMAT but not a direct company-specific catalyst. ASML’s Installed Base Business Gains Traction: What’s Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other market roundups note rising investor attention on AMAT; that increases liquidity and interest but is informational rather than fundamental news. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: General market caution articles about momentum stocks warn that rapid rallies in semiconductor names can see sharp pullbacks—this raises short‑term valuation risk for highly rated equipment stocks like AMAT. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

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.