119,735 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 119,735 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $86,568,000. Applied Materials makes up approximately 3.2% of Trust Co. of Vermont’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven demand outlook remains strong. JPMorgan maintained an Overweight rating and said Applied Materials’ semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related spending expected to account for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Product launches support advanced packaging and memory growth. New equipment aimed at AI-related chip production, advanced packaging and high-bandwidth memory could benefit Applied Materials as memory manufacturers increase capacity. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains constructive. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while recent research coverage and a Zacks Strong Buy momentum ranking provide additional near-term support for AMAT. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent results were strong but already appear reflected in expectations. Applied Materials reported record quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year, and exceeded earnings and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus next-quarter guidance has not prevented the stock from declining, indicating investors may be focused on valuation, positioning and broader sector concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional selling is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones liquidated his common-stock position and reportedly increased his put exposure. Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against AMAT, creating headline risk even though these trades do not necessarily represent a broad rejection of AI investment. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Chip-equipment stocks are facing a sector-wide selloff. Applied Materials, Lam Research and Teradyne have fallen together, raising concerns about semiconductor-cycle timing, customer capital-expenditure plans and whether AI expectations have become too optimistic. What Is Prompting the Selloff in Chip Equipment Stocks?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group set a $675.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $659.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $496.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $393.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.78, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $564.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $450.76.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

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.