Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Soundwatch Capital LLC

Soundwatch Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 99.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,713 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 755,950 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 0.1% of Soundwatch Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Soundwatch Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 21.1% during the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 2,259 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $414,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 45.2% in the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,144 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $322.51 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $344.60. 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 stock has a market cap of $255.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $288.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.21.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target sharply to $400 (from $250) and reiterated a Buy ahead of earnings, signaling increased analyst confidence and likely supporting buying interest. Citi Jumps Applied Materials (AMAT) Target Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research (Zacks) expects AMAT to beat estimates, highlighting the company’s revenue/earnings mix as favorable — a potential short-term catalyst that can lift the stock on an upside surprise. Applied Materials (AMAT) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also flags AMAT as a strong momentum stock, which can attract momentum-driven flows into the shares ahead of a likely volatility event (earnings). Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: An earnings release and investor event are scheduled for Feb. 12; this is the immediate catalyst and will drive intraday moves depending on results and guidance. Applied Materials (AMAT) to Release Earnings on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures appear to be a data glitch (showing 0 shares and NaN changes), so there’s no clear short-covering signal from that dataset at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage flagged a sharp pullback tied to export-control uncertainty despite robust AI-driven equipment demand — a reminder that geopolitical/export risks can quickly reverse sentiment if guidance or commentary raises red flags. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Down 11.6% After AI-Driven Equipment Demand Meets Export-Control Uncertainty

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Barclays upgraded shares of Applied Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $370.00 price objective on Applied Materials and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $273.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.15.

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.