Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Cuts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lessened its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 337,979 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 9,642 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 1.2% of Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $69,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and bullish market reaction — AMAT pushed to a new one‑year high after reporting quarterly results that topped estimates and prompted buying interest. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Hits New 1-Year High After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst price-target increases — Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $470 (from $425), signaling higher modelled upside and boosting investor confidence. Applied Materials price target raised to $470 from $425 at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Additional target raises — Needham and other outlets posted higher targets (e.g., Needham to $440), reinforcing the analyst momentum behind the stock. Applied Materials price target raised to $440 from $390 at Needham
• Positive Sentiment: Upgrades and buy reiterations — Several firms upgraded or reiterated buy calls (Summit Insights upgrade; B. Riley reiterated buy; RBC added a buy), adding analyst support to the rally. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Summit Insights Applied Materials’ (AMAT) Buy Rating Reiterated at B. Riley Securities Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from RBC Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/strategic clarity — Reports say AMAT cleared a U.S. probe and a refocused Samsung EPIC partnership, which reduces regulatory overhang and supports growth prospects. Applied Materials Clears US Probe As Samsung EPIC Partnership Refocuses Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Sector and thematic support — Industry pieces highlight AMAT as a key play on memory and AI-related capex, drawing thematic investor interest into memory/equipment names. Applied Materials Shows Why Memory Stocks Are the Next Big AI Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed chip‑sector context — Coverage notes the semiconductor group is mixed (AMAT and TSMC up, NVDA and Intel down); AMAT’s strength may reflect stock‑specific drivers more than broad sector momentum. Chip Stocks Split: AMAT and TSMC Gain While NVDA and Intel Retreat
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears erroneous — a February short‑interest entry shows zeros/NaN and provides no actionable signal; treat as unreliable until corrected.

Applied Materials Stock Up 8.1%

AMAT stock opened at $354.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $296.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $376.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.Applied Materials’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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 paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president 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 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 worth $2,044,898. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Mizuho raised their target price on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.03.

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.