Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Cuts Holdings

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 21.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 136,624 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 36,240 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $69,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parcion Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,244 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,170,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $382,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.0% during the third quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 27,560 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $14,094,000 after buying an additional 5,145 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ERn Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.2% during the third quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 590 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ planned move to raise its Besi stake to 20% is strengthening its exposure to hybrid bonding, a packaging technology that could benefit from rising AI-chip complexity. TIKR describes a bullish long-term scenario, with a potential price target of approximately $806 versus a roughly $628 Wall Street target. Applied Materials hybrid bonding analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a quarter with 51% growth and argues that AMAT trades at about 23 times forward earnings, a valuation that may look reasonable if AI-related semiconductor-equipment demand remains strong. The company also recently exceeded earnings and revenue estimates and issued fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $3.82–$4.22. Applied Materials growth and valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: AMAT is attracting unusually high investor attention, but the Zacks reports primarily review the company’s prospects rather than identify a new fundamental catalyst. Zacks Applied Materials investor attention report
• Negative Sentiment: Compared with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Applied Materials has shown a flatter revenue trajectory and less consistent quarter-over-quarter growth. That comparison may reinforce concerns that AMAT’s elevated valuation already discounts substantial AI-driven demand. Applied Materials versus Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Applied Materials Stock Down 7.5%

AMAT opened at $390.09 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $457.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $443.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $309.58 billion, a PE ratio of 38.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $632.70.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.