Key Points
- Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson sold 71,727 shares on June 16 at an average price of $593.75, totaling about $42.6 million. The sale reduced his ownership by 4.06%, and the filing was disclosed to the SEC.
- The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 beating estimates and revenue of $7.91 billion topping forecasts. Applied Materials also issued Q3 2026 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 EPS.
- Applied Materials continues to attract bullish sentiment from analysts and investors, with recent price-target increases from Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and KeyCorp. The stock is up sharply, and institutional investors own more than 80% of shares.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) SVP Timothy Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.
Applied Materials Stock Performance
AMAT opened at $592.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $470.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.67, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $441.16 and a 200 day moving average of $360.55. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $623.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company 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%. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $489.16.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Applied Materials
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials benefited from a Citi target increase and broader enthusiasm around AI infrastructure spending, with investors viewing the company as well-positioned for sustained demand in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
- Positive Sentiment: The company unveiled SENZ, a new integrated visual system for next-generation smart glasses, and announced a long-term partnership with EssilorLuxottica, creating a potential growth avenue beyond its core chipmaking tools business. EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials Join Forces to Advance Augmented Reality Optics Platforms for Next-Generation Smart Glasses
- Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted strong fundamentals, record results, and optimism that Applied Materials is a key beneficiary of the AI equipment super-cycle, reinforcing the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials: The Cheapest Seat On The AI Equipment Super-Cycle
- Neutral Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson, sold shares totaling about $65 million, which can raise questions about near-term valuation even though the sales were relatively small versus their remaining holdings. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
- Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson sold 71,727 shares at about $593.75 per share, adding to the day’s insider-sale headlines and potentially putting some pressure on sentiment. Gary Dickerson Sells 71,727 Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $635,057,000 after acquiring an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $21,149,000 after acquiring an additional 3,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.
About Applied Materials
(
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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