Blue Whale Capital LLP purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 599,538 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $433,466,000. Applied Materials comprises approximately 13.8% of Blue Whale Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly named Applied Materials a “top pick,” citing the company’s exposure to the continued buildout of AI infrastructure and chip-manufacturing capacity. Applied Materials Stock Is Named a Top Pick at Goldman Sachs
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts see significant upside after the stock’s decline from its high, with AI-driven semiconductor investment and record quarterly revenue supporting bullish price targets. One report cited an average target near $641, implying roughly 32% potential appreciation from recent levels. Wall Street Sees Rally Despite Decline From Peak
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is viewed as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending because its equipment and engineering solutions are essential to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Why Investors Should Buy the Dip in AMAT
- Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its Applied Materials price target from $650 to $590 but retained an “outperform” rating. The reduced target reflects more cautious expectations, while the rating still indicates confidence in the company’s longer-term prospects. Benzinga
- Neutral Sentiment: The reported August short-interest figures show zero shares and a mathematically invalid change, making the data unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
- Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reduced risk ahead of NVIDIA’s results, weighing on Applied Materials alongside other chipmakers. Semiconductor Stocks Slide Ahead of NVIDIA Earnings
Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9%
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.
Insider Activity at Applied Materials
In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have issued reports on AMAT. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $683.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, July 27th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $657.76.
View Our Latest Report on AMAT
Applied Materials Company 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.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Applied Materials
- Pathward’s Credit Scare Tests Its Comeback Story
- Wiring the AI Boom: Rumble’s $13.7B Pivot
- StoneX: Too Far Too Fast?
- DICK’s Sporting Goods Faces Pain Now for a Bigger Prize
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Applied Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Applied Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
