Cane Capital Partners LLC Invests $479,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Cane Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,865 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in 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. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $354.31 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $127.50 and a one year high of $395.95. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $348.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $285.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.64.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.70%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating and lifted its price target on AMAT from $470 to $500, increasing street confidence in AMAT’s upside and supporting buy-side flows. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/industry pieces highlight AMAT as one of the top AI-infrastructure plays (a “pick-and-shovel” beneficiary) alongside peers like Lam and Micron, reinforcing the narrative that sustained AI chip ramping supports WFE revenues. Forget NVIDIA: 2 AI Stocks Poised to Be Next Big Winners
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML’s expanding installed‑base/service business and continued EUV-driven upgrades signal broader capital intensity in the equipment ecosystem—a supportive backdrop for AMAT but not a direct company-specific catalyst. ASML’s Installed Base Business Gains Traction: What’s Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other market roundups note rising investor attention on AMAT; that increases liquidity and interest but is informational rather than fundamental news. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: General market caution articles about momentum stocks warn that rapid rallies in semiconductor names can see sharp pullbacks—this raises short‑term valuation risk for highly rated equipment stocks like AMAT. How to Trade a Stock That Just Doubled

Applied Materials 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.