Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Leelyn Smith LLC

Leelyn Smith LLC lowered its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,307 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,807 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.4% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 97.3% during the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 21,362 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $10,924,000 after buying an additional 10,533 shares during the period. United Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 8.0% in the third quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,529 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,975,000. Plancorp LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the third quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 3,352 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,714,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waycross Partners LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,540,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.2%

AMAT stock opened at $332.71 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $444.84 and its 200 day moving average is $444.66. The stock has a market cap of $264.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’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. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $632.01.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Insider Activity

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

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.