First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Boosts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,465 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,048 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $16,884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 217.1% during the 3rd quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,992,000 after acquiring an additional 6,662 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 57.5% during the third quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 9,916 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 3,622 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,688 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $210,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price for the company. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.75.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $322.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $255.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $333.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $270.76 and a 200 day moving average of $222.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS 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 business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets and reiterated overweight/buy views — KeyBanc bumped its target to $380 citing DRAM-driven capacity growth and vertical scaling potential; Needham raised its target to $390. KeyBanc Raises Applied Materials (AMAT) Target to $380, Keeps Overweight Rating Needham & Company LLC Increases Applied Materials Price Target to $390.00
• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached an all‑time high intraday, reflecting strong momentum and demand for semiconductor equipment exposure. Applied Materials stock hits all-time high at $332.31 USD
• Positive Sentiment: Applied’s display segment is rebounding: Zacks notes Q4 display revenue jumped ~68% with stronger OLED and advanced systems demand — a potential multi‑year growth driver beyond chips. Can AMAT Lead the Display Market With Advanced OLED and AR/VR Push?
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 2026 earnings call set for Feb. 12 — investors will focus on revenue guidance, memory demand trends, and China exposure. Applied Materials fiscal Q1 2026 earnings conference call details (company IR)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broad and bullish overall (many Buy/Overweight ratings and a wide range of targets); median target noted in some aggregation is lower than the newest highs, highlighting dispersion in expectations. Applied Materials announces earnings call (QuiverQuant summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny after the rally — several write‑ups flag that shares have run up strongly and investors should reassess forward multiples and upside. Applied Materials (AMAT) Valuation Check After Strong Recent Share Price Gains
• Negative Sentiment: China exposure and recent revenue softness remain a risk: AMAT’s revenue was down ~3.5% YoY in the last quarter, and some industry comparisons note China‑facing headwinds that could limit near‑term upside. Which Semiconductor Equipment Stock Has More Upside in 2026? (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: At least one retail‑oriented column argues there’s a reason to sell vs. rotate into an alternative, highlighting the risk of buying late in a strong run. 1 Reason to Sell AMAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

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.