Shell Asset Management Co. Sells 45,480 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Shell Asset Management Co. cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 67.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,285 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 45,480 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 0.5% of Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $673,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Welch Group LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AMAT. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.03.

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $354.91 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $376.32. The firm has a market cap of $281.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $295.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Profile

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.