Arkadios Wealth Advisors Decreases Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Arkadios Wealth Advisors lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 32.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,079 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,505 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $318.23 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $331.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.06. The firm has a market cap of $252.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.67.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials 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 owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 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

Several brokerages recently commented on AMAT. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Mizuho set a $275.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.89.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target on AMAT from $260 to $390 and kept a buy rating, implying material upside versus recent levels. That upgrade is a clear analyst catalyst supporting the stock. AMAT Applied Materials price target raised by Needham
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest in AMAT has fallen significantly, which reduces one source of downward pressure and can support the share price as fewer traders are positioned to bet on further declines. Applied Materials Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary comparing AMAT to peers highlights strength in memory (HBM, NAND) and advanced packaging tools — positioning Applied to capture demand across multiple secular growth areas in semicap equipment. That product breadth is viewed favorably versus EUV-focused peers. AMAT vs. ASML: Which Semiconductor Equipment Stock is a Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Several market commentators are using dips tied to China-related headlines as buying opportunities, reinforcing the view that recent weakness is more sentiment-driven than fundamentals-driven. Ignore the China Drama and Buy Applied Materials Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and other large banks have been raising price targets across tech names; this is a broad-sector tailwind but not a company-specific catalyst unless AMAT is explicitly highlighted in their lists. Goldman Sachs Raising Price Targets on Tech and Financial Blue Chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative write-ups and Q3 rundowns place AMAT versus other equipment suppliers for context; useful for long-term allocation decisions but less likely to move price intraday. Q3 Rundown: Applied Materials Vs Other Semiconductor Manufacturing Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum concerns after roughly a 72% one‑year run have analysts and investors asking if the rally is extended; “too late” style headlines can trigger profit-taking and make the stock vulnerable to short-term pullbacks. Is It Too Late To Consider Applied Materials After A 72% One Year Surge?

Applied Materials Company Profile

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.