Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. Invests $2.48 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,425 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,476,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Evolve Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 59.0% during the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $983,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 183.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $790,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 376,513 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $96,760,000 after buying an additional 32,136 shares during the period. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 204.8% during the fourth quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $36,177,000 after acquiring an additional 94,587 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $546.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $433.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.33, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $554.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $434.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor ETFs surged as much as 19% in a broad AI-driven rally, improving sentiment toward chip-equipment suppliers such as Applied Materials. Renewed expectations for AI infrastructure spending may support demand for the company’s wafer-fabrication equipment. Semiconductor ETFs Surge up to 19% in Huge Rally as the AI Trade Ramps Back Up
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see a favorable setup for Applied Materials to beat its next quarterly earnings estimates, citing the company’s strong history of earnings surprises and currently positive forecast indicators. The company’s latest quarter also exceeded expectations, with $2.86 in EPS and $7.91 billion in revenue. Will Applied Materials Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials recently outperformed the broader market, reflecting stronger investor interest in the semiconductor-equipment group. However, the article primarily describes recent trading performance rather than identifying a new fundamental catalyst. Applied Materials Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious ahead of earnings despite Applied Materials’ strong fundamentals, with at least one downgrade pointing to elevated expectations and potential downside if results or guidance disappoint. The stock’s high earnings multiple increases its sensitivity to any slowdown in AI or semiconductor spending. Applied Materials: Strong Fundamentals, But I’m Downgrading Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks recently faced pressure over fears that Chinese competitors could intensify competition, potentially affecting pricing, market share and long-term growth prospects for U.S. equipment makers. Semiconductor Stocks Sink Over Fears of Increased Competition From China

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Mizuho increased their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.23.

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.