Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Reduced by Peloton Wealth Strategists

Peloton Wealth Strategists cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 26.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 16,740 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,125 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 1.7% of Peloton Wealth Strategists’ portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Peloton Wealth Strategists’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $451.15 billion, a PE ratio of 53.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $436.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $358.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $600.91.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Company 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.