State of Wisconsin Investment Board cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 418,007 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,904 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board owned about 0.05% of Applied Materials worth $107,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. &PARTNERS increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 156,043 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $40,111,000 after acquiring an additional 16,811 shares during the period. Fullerton Fund Management Co Ltd. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $780,000. Kidder Stephen W grew its stake in Applied Materials by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Kidder Stephen W now owns 20,075 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,159,000 after buying an additional 8,068 shares during the last quarter. Night Squared LP grew its stake in Applied Materials by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Night Squared LP now owns 31,550 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,108,000 after buying an additional 6,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $236,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.03.
More Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term partnership with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop augmented reality optics platforms and AI-powered smart eyewear, expanding the company beyond chip equipment into a potentially new growth market. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to solve 3D chip-scaling challenges, reinforcing its role in enabling next-generation AI chips and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary stayed upbeat, with higher price targets from Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald and multiple articles highlighting strong momentum in AI-related businesses and the company’s recent surge. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces noted that Applied Materials has already had a very strong move this year and may be extended on valuation, which could temper enthusiasm even as fundamentals improve. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: One market note said the stock dropped despite the smart-glasses deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or questioning whether the new initiatives justify the current valuation immediately. Article Title
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Shares of AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $436.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $358.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $600.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market cap of $451.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.
Insider Transactions at Applied Materials
In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by 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.
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