M&G PLC raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 838.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,593 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,907 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 156.4% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 6,161 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,758 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 209.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 14,355 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,350,000 after purchasing an additional 9,715 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 12.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 73,199 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $38,744,000 after purchasing an additional 7,888 shares during the period. StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $1,664,000. Finally, Burton Enright Welch raised its position in Applied Materials by 431.9% in the third quarter. Burton Enright Welch now owns 4,037 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 3,278 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $625.76.
Read Our Latest Analysis on AMAT
Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%
Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $372.53 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $441.30 and a 200-day moving average of $445.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $295.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Key Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity could drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced-packaging equipment, creating a potential growth opportunity for Applied Materials. The Next AI Chip Shortage May Be the Machines That Make HBM
- Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its price target to $475 from $700 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving substantial implied upside from the cited share price. B. Riley Cut Its Applied Materials Target to $475. It Still Sees 28% Upside
- Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened volatility rather than a clear directional view. Investors will be watching results and the company’s outlook. Why Options Traders Expect a Major Post-Earnings Reaction
- Negative Sentiment: A technical analysis article says AMAT is nearing a “death cross” after a steep retreat from its high, which could signal further downside if the bearish pattern forms. Applied Materials Stock: Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings
- Negative Sentiment: ETFs sold about $200.2 million of Applied Materials shares on Friday, adding a short-term source of selling pressure. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Applied Materials
Applied Materials Company Profile
Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.
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