Advisory Services Network LLC Purchases 8,996 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Advisory Services Network LLC increased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 19.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,688 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,996 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,847,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.74.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $259.21 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $236.68 and its 200 day moving average is $199.97. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $276.10. The company has a market capitalization of $206.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th 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, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

About Applied Materials

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.