Legal Advantage Investments Inc. trimmed its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,081 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 2.1% of Legal Advantage Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Legal Advantage Investments Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 40.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $86,610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Applied Materials Stock Performance
Shares of AMAT stock opened at $585.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $465.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $641.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $459.63 and a 200-day moving average of $370.55.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock valued at $114,104,709. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Applied Materials News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Applied Materials to Buy, adding to a growing list of bullish analyst calls and reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth outlook.
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled two new chipmaking systems for next-generation AI chips, highlighting new product momentum in its core semiconductor equipment business and potential demand tied to AI infrastructure.
- Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary and analyst notes continue to suggest AI-driven semiconductor spending could support Applied Materials’ premium valuation and future earnings growth.
- Neutral Sentiment: Insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares, a disclosure that may get attention but does not by itself signal a change in the company’s fundamentals.
- Negative Sentiment: Applied Materials fell alongside other chip names after a report that SK Hynix is slowing HBM expansion, which raised concerns about near-term AI-chip demand across the sector.
- Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage also flagged AMAT’s valuation as stretched after a strong rally, suggesting investors may be more sensitive to any slowdown in growth expectations.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $501.26.
Read Our Latest Analysis on AMAT
About Applied Materials
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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