Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 268,579 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,269 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $49,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $268.00 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $231.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.16. The stock has a market cap of $213.50 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $273.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cfra Research raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.74.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.