We recently published a list of 20 Stocks Insiders Bought in April After Trump’s Tariff Rollout. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) stands against other stocks that insiders bought in April after Trump’s tariff rollout.
President Donald Trump called April 2 a “Liberation Day” after signing an executive order that imposed a minimum 10% tariff on all U.S. imports, with some exceptions. As a result, 57 countries will face higher tariffs ranging from 11% to 50%. While general tariffs took effect on April 5, the elevated rates are set to begin on April 9. These so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ triggered retaliation from trade partners and contributed to a decline in the stock market.” On Sunday, Trump said, “I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” as reported by CNBC.
The blue-chip companies closed the Monday market session 0.91% lower, while the broader market index closed 0.23% lower after briefly entering bear market territory during the session. The Nasdaq Composite closed 0.10% higher.
Amid these tariff wars and overwhelming market uncertainty, insider trading often comes to focus. Why? When executives buy stock, it can suggest confidence in the company’s future. On the other hand, insider sales don’t have to be a negative sign for the company, because they can reflect personal decisions or investment diversification. This means that insider trading should be considered alongside the company’s financial health and market conditions.
Our Methodology
Today, we’re focusing on stocks that insiders have been buying in April. Using Insider Monkey’s insider trading screener, we identified companies where at least one insider acquired shares from April 2 to April 7. From this list, we ranked the top 20 stocks with the highest value of insider purchases.
Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A technician in a clean room assembling a semiconductor chip using a microscope.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)
Applied Materials ranks sixth among the 20 stocks insiders bought in April following Trump’s tariff rollout. It supplies manufacturing equipment, software, and services for the semiconductor and display industries. The Santa Clara, California-headquartered company operates in three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display, providing products for semiconductor fabrication, display technologies, and equipment optimization.
In April, the company’s president and CEO purchased a total of $6.87 million worth of Applied Materials shares at an average price of $137.50 per share. Currently, the stock trades at $132.85 per share, having lost 18.31% year-to-date and 36.45% over the past 12 months.
For the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the company reported net revenue of $7.17 billion, which compares to revenue of $6.71 billion in the same quarter of fiscal 2024. Gross margin was 48.8%, compared to 47.8% in the comparable period of last year. Net income amounted to $1.19 billion, compared to $2.02 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. AMAT shares currently trade at a forward P/E of 14 (assuming that its forward earnings estimates are accurate).
Applied Materials is also one of the 10 best high-risk stocks to buy according to billionaires.
Twenty-one analysts rate Applied Materials stock as a “Buy” with a price target of $214.67, reports StockAnalysis. The average price target suggests a 54.26% potential upside from the latest price.
Overall, AMAT ranks 6th on our list of stocks that insiders bought in April after Trump’s tariff rollout. While we acknowledge the potential of AMAT, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMAT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
