3,790 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by Van Diest Capital LLC

Van Diest Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,790 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $974,000. Applied Materials comprises about 1.5% of Van Diest Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 10,757 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Rare Wolf Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $255,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 237.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,112,249 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $285,837,000 after purchasing an additional 783,040 shares during the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $407,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 6,089 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,565,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $489.16.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $617.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.96 billion, a PE ratio of 57.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $638.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $446.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.12.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials, reinforcing the view that AI infrastructure spending and memory-chip equipment demand should keep driving revenue growth. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ, a fully integrated visual system for AI smart glasses, and partnered with EssilorLuxottica and Qualcomm, giving investors a potential new long-term growth avenue. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Applied Materials as a beneficiary of the AI equipment super-cycle, with strong earnings, robust wafer-fab equipment demand, and favorable analyst sentiment supporting the rally. Applied Materials: The Cheapest Seat On The AI Equipment Super-Cycle

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.