974 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Purchased by Lake Hills Wealth Management LLC

Lake Hills Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 974 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $498,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,589,000. CX Institutional boosted its position in Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. New Street Research lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. HSBC lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $640.20.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials and Intel announced expanded collaboration at Applied’s EPIC Center and Intel’s Oregon R&D campus. The companies plan to develop next-generation transistors, interconnects and advanced packaging for AI chips, potentially strengthening AMAT’s position in increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing. Applied Materials and Intel Collaborate to Accelerate Chipmaking Innovations for AI-Driven Computing
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage remains bullish on AMAT’s exposure to artificial intelligence, advanced memory, packaging and wafer-fabrication equipment. Goldman Sachs named the stock a tactical semiconductor idea ahead of earnings, while Zacks highlighted the company alongside Lam Research and FormFactor as beneficiaries of sustained AI-driven chip demand. 3 Chip Stocks Set for an Earnings Boost, and 3 to Avoid
• Positive Sentiment: The bullish thesis points to strong execution, record growth in Applied Global Services and expanding equipment demand as chip designs become more complicated. AMAT previously exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 24.8% year over year. Applied Materials vs. LRCX and KLAC
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials has substantially outperformed the broader market over the past year, but comparisons with Nvidia show a more modest revenue trajectory and lower profitability. This underscores AMAT’s AI exposure while highlighting that it is an equipment supplier rather than a direct AI-chip leader. Applied Materials vs. Nvidia: What Revenue Trends Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profit-taking are likely weighing on the stock after its major rally. Coverage cites a price-to-sales ratio near 9.6 times, making AMAT more sensitive to any slowdown in semiconductor capital spending or disappointment around earnings. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock at a P/S Valuation of 9.59X?
• Negative Sentiment: The chief accounting officer sold 725 shares for approximately $395,000 to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards. The transaction appears administrative rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but it adds a minor negative headline. Applied Materials CAO Sells 725 Shares

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT traded down $9.03 on Wednesday, hitting $521.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,721,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,885,701. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $487.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $479.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $413.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.