Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 28.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,522,200 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 340,362 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.19% of Applied Materials worth $1,108,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Applied Materials Price Performance
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $683.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $646.00 to $642.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. William Blair began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.17.
View Our Latest Research Report on AMAT
More Applied Materials News
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly performance: Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion, ahead of the $8.99 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. AI infrastructure demand, advanced packaging and memory spending supported growth. Applied Materials Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
- Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal Q4 revenue of approximately $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion and EPS of $3.82 to $4.22, both above analyst expectations. The company also pointed to stronger systems growth and unusually long customer visibility into fiscal 2027 and beyond. Applied Materials Forecasts Quarterly Revenue Above Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: JPMorgan, RBC, TD Cowen, B. Riley, Needham and other firms maintained positive ratings or raised price targets. Soros Capital also reportedly added AMAT among several semiconductor positions, reinforcing the longer-term AI and chip-cycle investment case. Soros Capital Loads Up on Semiconductor Stocks
- Neutral Sentiment: Options imply a possible rebound: Derivatives-market data indicates traders expect the pullback could be temporary, although elevated volatility reflects uncertainty over the stock’s near-term direction. Applied Materials Options Data
- Negative Sentiment: Expectations were exceptionally high: Despite the earnings beat and upbeat guidance, investors wanted faster growth and clearer evidence that AMAT is outpacing rivals in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Concerns about competition, margins and the pace of systems growth overshadowed the headline results. Applied Materials Slips as Investors Seek Faster Growth
- Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure added to selling: Weaker July retail-sales data, profit-taking after record highs and a semiconductor-sector selloff weighed on AMAT and other AI-related stocks.
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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