Savant Capital LLC Sells 3,451 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Savant Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 13.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,754 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,451 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.15.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $322.51 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $344.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $288.07 and its 200 day moving average is $231.21.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS 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 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 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 forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value 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. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.