Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,300 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $50,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 34.8% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $657.76.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly named Applied Materials a “top pick,” citing the company’s exposure to the continued buildout of AI infrastructure and chip-manufacturing capacity. Applied Materials Stock Is Named a Top Pick at Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see significant upside after the stock’s decline from its high, with AI-driven semiconductor investment and record quarterly revenue supporting bullish price targets. One report cited an average target near $641, implying roughly 32% potential appreciation from recent levels. Wall Street Sees Rally Despite Decline From Peak
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is viewed as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending because its equipment and engineering solutions are essential to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Why Investors Should Buy the Dip in AMAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its Applied Materials price target from $650 to $590 but retained an “outperform” rating. The reduced target reflects more cautious expectations, while the rating still indicates confidence in the company’s longer-term prospects. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported August short-interest figures show zero shares and a mathematically invalid change, making the data unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reduced risk ahead of NVIDIA’s results, weighing on Applied Materials alongside other chipmakers. Semiconductor Stocks Slide Ahead of NVIDIA Earnings

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9%

Applied Materials stock opened at $480.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $380.96 billion, a PE ratio of 41.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $558.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $454.37. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.