Greenberg Financial Group Purchases New Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,440 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $370,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Traveka Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.5% during the third quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 7.0% during the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied announced two new deposition systems aimed at the “angstrom era” logic nodes (Precision™ Selective Nitride PECVD and Trillium™ ALD) that the company says are already being used by leading foundry customers — this product roadmap strengthens AMAT’s position in advanced‑logic equipment and underpins upside to future equipment cycles. Applied Materials Introduces Deposition Systems for Angstrom‑Era Logic Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage and trade flow reacted to the product launch — multiple outlets report AMAT “surged” after unveiling the tools, a direct catalyst driving intraday buying and higher short‑term momentum. Applied Materials surges as it unveils new chipmaking systems
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is bullish: Cantor Fitzgerald recently reaffirmed an Overweight rating and raised its price target, and other firms (including Goldman Sachs in sector calls) are highlighting AMAT as a top semiconductor pick — these endorsements support further upside and investor confidence. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market tailwinds — easing geopolitical tensions (Iran ceasefire coverage) — helped the rally in tech names, providing a supportive backdrop for AMAT’s move but not company‑specific. Dow Jones Futures: Iran Ceasefire Spurs Bullish Turn, What’s Your Move?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and technical notes are pointing to momentum after the launch; some outlets ask whether to buy the rally, highlighting momentum but not adding new fundamental info. Applied Materials Just Launched a New Chipmaking System. Should You Buy AMAT Stock Here?
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and rotation risk: commentary raises the question of whether much of AMAT’s multi‑month rally is already priced in — articles examining the stock after a large run warn of stretched valuations and potential mean reversion. Is It Too Late To Consider Applied Materials (AMAT) After 177% One Year Surge?
• Negative Sentiment: Risk‑management reminders: trading guides note that stocks which double can experience sharp pullbacks, underscoring near‑term volatility risk even if the long‑term thesis remains intact. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.9%

Applied Materials stock opened at $385.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $306.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $128.60 and a 1 year high of $395.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $349.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

About Applied Materials

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.