Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 6,484 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Bessemer Group Inc. lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,574,814 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,484 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.20% of Applied Materials worth $322,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, 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 transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — a recent analyst move raised AMAT’s price target by ~17%, signaling renewed analyst confidence in the company’s medium-term outlook and providing a bullish anchor for investors. Applied Materials (AMAT) price target increased by 17.14% to 329.63
• Positive Sentiment: Street expects Q1 upside — Morgan Stanley published a note expecting Applied to surpass Q1 estimates, reinforcing a near-term earnings beat narrative that can support the stock if results meet or beat. Morgan Stanley expects Applied Materials to surpass Q1 estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings-beat history and growth profile — analysts and Zacks highlight AMAT’s history of beating estimates and its strong growth characteristics, which supports investor expectations for continued outperformance into upcoming reports. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/positioning debate — commentary asks whether AMAT is “too late” after a large one‑year gain; these pieces frame investor debate over valuation and rotation rather than providing a clear catalyst. Is It Too Late To Consider Applied Materials (AMAT) After Its 80% One Year Surge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears unreliable — an item flagged a large increase in short interest but reported 0 shares (data anomaly); this is not a clear driver given the suspect numbers and should be treated cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy intraday selling despite positive developments — reports note a sharp intraday plunge (midday selling) even though the company had favorable items in its favor; that suggests profit-taking, headline-driven flows or rotation out of chip-capex names pressured the stock. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Plunges despite Hopes for a ‘More Constructive Direction’
• Negative Sentiment: Underperforming the broader market on the day — market commentary explains AMAT fell more than the broader indices, consistent with sector rotation and headline-driven volatility that can accelerate declines during high-volume selling days. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $297.60 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $236.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $344.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $285.58 and its 200 day moving average is $229.79.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business’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. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $311.04.

Applied Materials 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.