AMAT
A tiny trim in a very big position
McGuire Investment Group LLC cut its Applied Materials stake by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,776 shares and leaving it with 117,997 shares worth about $30.3 million. That still makes AMAT its eighth-largest holding, so this looks more like a portfolio tune-up than a dramatic breakup text.
Why investors might shrug — or squint
If you were hoping for a giant red flag, this isn’t really it. The fund still owns a chunky position, and the article’s bigger takeaway is that Applied Materials has been putting up numbers that keep bulls comfortable:
- EPS came in at $2.38 vs. $2.21 expected
- Revenue landed at $7.01 billion
- Q2 FY2026 guidance was raised to $2.44–$2.84 per share
- The quarterly dividend was bumped to $0.53
That combo is basically the corporate version of saying, “We got a promotion and bought everyone coffee.”
Wall Street is still leaning optimistic
Analysts are still pretty friendly here, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $368.29. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an outperform call at $425, while Bank of America lifted its target to $350 and kept a buy rating.
Big picture
A single institutional trim doesn’t usually move the needle much on its own. But when it lands next to a beat, a guidance raise, and a dividend hike, it reinforces the idea that Applied Materials is still doing the boring-but-beautiful thing markets love: making money and keeping the machines humming.