Bogart Wealth LLC Sells 6,510 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Bogart Wealth LLC lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,070 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,510 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $13,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 225.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,046,057,000 after purchasing an additional 10,305,182 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,247,838,000 after buying an additional 3,280,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,552,132 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,160,443,000 after buying an additional 1,681,911 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on AMAT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho upped their target price on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $368.29.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley expresses a more optimistic outlook for semiconductor capital spending and is bullish on Applied’s positioning, providing a near-term analyst tailwind that could support the stock if capex demand reaccelerates. B. Riley Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT); Sees Better Outlook for Semiconductor Capital Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnership news — Advantest joining Applied’s EPIC platform and opening an Innovation Center — strengthens Applied’s ecosystem play across front-end process and back-end test, a structural positive for long-term revenue and differentiation. Is Advantest’s EPIC Tie-Up Reshaping the Long-Term Investment Case for Applied Materials (AMAT)?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker commentary remains generally constructive (average brokerage recommendations and a recent Erste upgrade), which supports conviction among longer-term investors even as headlines create volatility. Brokers Suggest Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT): Read This Before Placing a Bet
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Commerce Department ordered chip-equipment firms to halt some shipments to China’s Hua Hong, and Applied was among companies receiving restriction letters — a direct near-term revenue risk for tools sales into China. U.S. halts chip equipment shipments to China’s Hua Hong
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor sell-off (spurred by reports that OpenAI missed growth targets and sector rotation) is weighing on AMAT alongside peers, amplifying volatility and driving short-term downside. What Is Going On With Applied Materials Stock On Tuesday?
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: Middle East tensions pushed oil higher and contributed to risk-off trading that pressured tech and chip stocks broadly. US Equity Markets End Lower as Chipmakers Slide, Middle East Tensions Lift Oil

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the company’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 sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $381.17 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.71 and a 52 week high of $420.50. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $367.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.78. The firm has a market cap of $302.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.70%.

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.