Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT is Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Cantillon Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,951,260 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 32,480 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 3.3% of Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $604,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Grandfield & Dodd LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $55,180,000 after acquiring an additional 17,397 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 5,548 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 34.2% in the third quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 1,906 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.6% in the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 93,402 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,123,000 after buying an additional 3,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 11.8% during the third quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 11,625 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,380,000 after buying an additional 1,223 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. KeyCorp raised their price target on Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Mizuho set a $275.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $273.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $286.89.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst target increases from major firms signal upside expectations — Needham raised its target to $390 and KeyBanc raised its target to $380, citing AMAT’s positioning for memory/AI-related capacity growth and vertical scaling potential. Needham Increases AMAT Target to $390 KeyBanc Raises AMAT Target to $380
• Positive Sentiment: Display business rebound: Q4 display revenues rose ~68% driven by advanced systems, improved pricing and stronger OLED demand — a sign AMAT’s display segment may reaccelerate revenue and margins if demand for OLED and AR/VR tooling continues. Can AMAT Lead the Display Market With Advanced OLED and AR/VR Push?
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings date set — AMAT will report fiscal Q1 2026 results and host its earnings call on Feb. 12, 2026; that event is a near-term catalyst where management guidance and commentary on China exposure, memory demand and pricing will matter most. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Results on Feb. 12, 2026 Q1 2026 Earnings Call Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative sector performance pieces highlight AMAT vs. peers (ASML, Lam) and frame expectations — useful context for investors assessing valuation and relative upside but not an immediate driver. Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Applied Materials (AMAT) This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and China-market headwinds remain a drag — AMAT reported a ~3.5% revenue decline YoY in the last quarter and analysts point to China restrictions as a continuing risk to near-term top-line growth. That dynamic helps explain why some analysts still caution on downside despite upgrades. Which Semiconductor Equipment Stock Has More Upside in 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: Negative/sell viewpoints and insider selling are being highlighted by some outlets — a Yahoo piece recommends selling AMAT in favor of alternatives, and recent insider sales are noted in market summaries, both of which can add near-term selling pressure. 1 Reason to Sell AMAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead Quiver Quant: Insider Activity & Institutional Moves (AMAT)

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.0%

AMAT stock opened at $318.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $252.78 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $333.03. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $268.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.47.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.