Key Points
- CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 Applied Materials shares at an average price of $479.25, totaling approximately $3.6 million. His remaining direct ownership fell 5.51% to 128,613 shares.
- Applied Materials reported strong operating momentum, with quarterly revenue up 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50, exceeding analyst expectations.
- Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $657.76, though China-related export restrictions and rising domestic competition remain key risks.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Brice Hill also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, June 3rd, Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00.
Applied Materials Price Performance
AMAT stock opened at $482.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $553.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $456.73. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $382.80 billion, a PE ratio of 41.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $683.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $657.76.
Get Our Latest Report on AMAT
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HORAN Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 95.6% in the second quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,180,000 after buying an additional 798 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $124,981,000. Financial Insights Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 1,536 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 70,976.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 870,192,678 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $629,149,306,000 after purchasing an additional 868,968,380 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm executive joins the board: Applied Materials appointed Qualcomm CFO and COO Akash Palkhiwala as a director and Audit Committee member. His semiconductor-industry, finance and operating experience could strengthen the board as AMAT targets growth in advanced logic, memory and AI infrastructure. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
- Positive Sentiment: AI buildout supports earnings momentum: Recent coverage highlights AMAT’s record quarter-over-quarter revenue increase, with quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.50, up 41%. Demand is being driven by advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, leading-edge logic and advanced packaging. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
- Positive Sentiment: Services business remains healthy: AMAT’s Applied Global Services segment reported record revenue and expanding margins, supported by subscription services, parts demand and increased semiconductor-fab utilization. This recurring revenue stream may help cushion equipment-cycle volatility. AMAT's AGS Business Gains Momentum
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst upside remains substantial: The average Wall Street price target implies roughly 35% potential upside, although targets are estimates and AMAT’s elevated valuation makes further gains dependent on continued earnings growth. Does Applied Materials Have the Potential to Rally?
- Negative Sentiment: China exposure is a key overhang: New Chinese immersion DUV lithography capabilities and tighter export controls raise concerns about domestic competition and reduced access to China, a significant AMAT market. Applied Materials' China Problem Is Getting Worse
- Negative Sentiment: CFO stock sale adds a minor sentiment concern: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares worth approximately $3.6 million, reducing his holdings by 5.51%. The transaction does not change AMAT’s fundamentals but may weigh modestly on investor sentiment. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
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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