Key Points
- CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares on Feb 17 at an average of $361.21 for roughly $1.806M, trimming his stake by about 3.48% to 138,565 shares (≈$50.05M).
- Applied Materials beat Q1 estimates with $2.38 EPS on $7.01B revenue and issued Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, prompting multiple analyst upgrades and higher price targets.
- The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 (annualized $1.84), with an ex‑dividend date of Feb 19 and payment on Mar 12, implying a ~0.5% yield.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
Applied Materials Price Performance
Applied Materials stock opened at $369.30 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $300.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $376.32. The company has a market capitalization of $293.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.70.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
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 $0.46 dividend. 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 payout ratio is currently 18.83%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.04.
View Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $265,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $567,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.
Trending Headlines about Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and guidance — AMAT beat Q1 estimates and management gave aggressive growth guidance (CEO projected ~20% calendar‑2026 sales and strong Q2 revenue outlook), which has driven analyst target‑price increases and renewed optimism among investors. 3 Under-the-Radar Earnings Surprises Could Signal a New Trend (AMAT)
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate revisions — Zacks bumped AMAT to a Strong Buy and published commentary noting upward earnings‑estimate revisions, supporting near‑term upside expectations. Applied Materials (AMAT) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here's Why
- Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity — unusually big call buying (≈97,138 calls, ~+231% vs. typical daily volume) suggests traders are positioning for further upside or protecting long exposure.
- Neutral Sentiment: Investor events — Applied Materials confirmed management will appear at upcoming investor conferences (opportunity for further detail/Q&A but not an immediate earnings surprise). Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
- Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some publications note conflicting analyst views on AMAT amid sector rotation and valuation debates; this creates variable near‑term sentiment even as fundamentals look strong. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Technology Companies
- Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears unreliable — reports show zero/NaN short interest and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover metric, which is likely a reporting anomaly and not meaningful for positioning today.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares for ~$1.8M, trimming his stake by ~3.5%; while routine insider sales often fund personal liquidity, some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4
Applied Materials Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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