Adam Sanders Sells 534 Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Adam Sanders also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 1st, Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $4.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $377.93. 5,709,161 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,276,564. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $307.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market cap of $299.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $380.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat, stronger guidance and strategic wins — Applied reported a solid Q1 (beats on EPS and revenue) issued raised Q2 guidance and disclosed a ~US$252.5M U.S. export deal; management emphasized AI‑compute demand and launched new tools targeting 2nm-and‑beyond nodes — a direct revenue lever if chipmakers accelerate advanced-node capacity. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.3% After Strong Q1, Export Deal And 2nm Push – Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative reinforces AMAT as an AI-infrastructure play — coverage highlighting the nanotech/fabrication layer behind AI positions Applied as a core beneficiary of long‑term AI and advanced-node investment, supporting durable demand for deposition/etch/inspection equipment. The Supply Chain Quietly Powering the AI Boom—And 4 Ways to Play It
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength and investor metrics improving — third‑party analysis and scoring models moved AMAT higher after the quarter, citing margin expansion, operational efficiency and AI tailwinds that boost investor sentiment and relative rankings. AMAT Stock Key Score Climbs As AI Demand And Operational Efficiency Drive Q1 Surge
• Positive Sentiment: End‑market growth outlook — Applied flagged strong AI/computing demand and external analysis forecasts significant semiconductor equipment growth in 2026, which would lift order flows and utilization for suppliers like AMAT. Applied Materials expects 20% growth in semiconductor business in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive/industry partnerships — Samsung joined Applied’s EPIC Center as a founding partner (R&D/process collaboration). This strengthens ecosystem ties but is exploratory and more strategic than immediately revenue‑driving. Samsung HBM4 AI Push Meets Fair Value And High Expectation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector comparisons — Analysts comparing AMAT to packaging players (e.g., AMKR) note AMAT’s stronger exposure to HBM/AI equipment, but those comparisons mostly guide relative positioning rather than change AMAT’s standalone thesis. AMAT vs. AMKR: Which AI-Driven Semiconductor Stock is a Safer Bet?
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier awards PR — Applied announced Supplier Excellence Awards, which reflect supply‑chain strength and sustainability commitments but have limited direct near‑term financial impact. Applied Materials Awards Suppliers for Outstanding Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slip year‑over‑year — Q1 revenue was down ~2% versus the prior year, indicating near‑term cyclicality despite the beat; investors should watch whether bookings convert into sustained higher revenue as fabs ramp. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.3% After Strong Q1, Export Deal And 2nm Push – Has The Bull Case Changed?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Craig Hallum restated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.04.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.