Personal CFO Solutions LLC Lowers Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Personal CFO Solutions LLC cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,221 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,560 shares during the quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 361.8% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 34,837 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,378,000 after buying an additional 27,294 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $385.72 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $128.60 and a twelve month high of $395.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $349.19 and its 200 day moving average is $285.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $306.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied introduced two deposition systems built for 2nm and beyond (Precision Selective Nitride PECVD and Trillium ALD), aimed at Angstrom‑era logic nodes and GAA transistors — a clear revenue/capacity catalyst if customers scale adoption. Applied Materials Introduces Deposition Systems for Angstrom-Era Logic Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: multiple outlets report a strong intraday rally after the product launch, reflecting investor enthusiasm that AMAT can capture more AI/advanced‑logic equipment spending. Applied Materials surges as it unveils new chipmaking systems
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support: Goldman Sachs named Applied Materials a top semiconductor pick, which can attract incremental institutional flows and bolster sentiment. Goldman Sachs Names Teradyne (TER), Applied Materials (AMAT), AMD (AMD) as Top Semiconductor Picks
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend/financial signal: recent coverage highlights a company payout increase (board raised quarterly dividend), reinforcing cash‑return discipline and appealing to income‑oriented investors. Here’s What Makes Applied Materials (AMAT) an Unstoppable Technology Stock to Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro tailwind: broader market softened on geopolitics early but turned bullish on an Iran ceasefire, helping chip names including AMAT as risk sentiment improved. Dow Jones Futures Fall, Oil Prices Rise After Iran Ceasefire Rally. Google, Nvidia Partner Lead 7 New Buys
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/positioning debate: analyst pieces question whether recent gains already price in growth (views range from “buy and hold” to cautious on stretched multiples), so future upside may depend on execution and order flow. Applied Materials Just Launched a New Chipmaking System. Should You Buy AMAT Stock Here?
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term risk: coverage reminding investors that stocks that have doubled fast can see sharp pullbacks if order timing or end‑market demand disappoints — a cautionary signal for momentum traders. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.46.

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.