Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by AE Wealth Management LLC

AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 15.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 208,862 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 28,048 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $42,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after forecasting a “significant acceleration” in wafer fab equipment (WFE) upgrades, a direct demand driver for Applied Materials’ tools and services. This upgrade supports a more bullish revenue outlook for 2026. AMAT stock: Mizuho sees ‘significant acceleration’ in WFE, upgrades rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and media pieces are positioning AMAT as a top pick for 2026, arguing the stock still has upside as secular demand for semiconductor capacity drives multi-year spending. This boosts investor confidence in the growth story. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a shortage it can’t meet—an indication of strong demand vs. constrained supply that tends to support pricing power and order books. Media amplification of that view can lift sentiment. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: AMAT recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and provided upbeat Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance (1.98–2.38), supporting the case that earnings momentum underpins the rally. (Company reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for late January appears inconsistent (records showing zeros and NaN changes); current public figures don’t give a clear signal on bearish positioning or squeeze risk. Analysts and traders should treat the short-interest prints cautiously.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail and search interest noted by Zacks — attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental by itself. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $267.02 billion, a PE ratio of 38.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $344.04. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $276.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. The firm’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, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 in the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $370.00 price objective on Applied Materials and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $275.00 to $390.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.14.

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.