Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 11,646 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Fifth Third Bancorp cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 478,801 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 11,646 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $98,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Atticus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $902,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.5% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 22,400 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,582,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 281,383 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,610,000 after acquiring an additional 7,796 shares during the period. Avanda Investment Management Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $450,000. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.1% in the third quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on AMAT. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $420.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Applied Materials Stock Up 8.1%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $354.91 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $376.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $295.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $237.05. The company has a market capitalization of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.70. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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