Maxi Investments CY Ltd purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 15,700 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,351,000. Applied Materials makes up about 2.3% of Maxi Investments CY Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.
A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $657.76.
Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure is supporting a new growth cycle. Chipmakers are increasing spending on advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, leading-edge logic and advanced packaging—all areas that benefit Applied Materials’ semiconductor equipment business. The company’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 24.8% year over year, with earnings and revenue exceeding analyst expectations. Applied Materials Enters a New AI-Driven Growth Cycle
- Positive Sentiment: Services and parts demand remain resilient. Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services (AGS) division reportedly reached record revenue and expanded margins, helped by subscription services, parts demand and higher semiconductor-fab utilization. This recurring revenue can provide stability across equipment cycles. AMAT’s AGS Business Gains Momentum
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts see potential upside after the recent selloff. Consensus price targets imply roughly 35% upside, while another report cited an average target near $641. However, these targets depend on continued earnings-estimate improvements and sustained AI spending. Analyst Upside Potential for AMAT
- Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho remains constructive but lowered its target. The firm reduced its price target from $650 to $590 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious near-term outlook despite expected upside. Mizuho AMAT Price Target Update
- Negative Sentiment: China exposure is the main overhang. Tighter export controls and the emergence of Chinese domestic immersion DUV lithography systems are raising concerns about Applied Materials’ competitiveness and future China sales. Reports caution that not all of the company’s approximately $2.087 billion in quarterly China revenue is immediately threatened, but investors are still pricing in greater regulatory and competitive risk. Applied Materials’ China Problem Is Getting Worse
Insider Transactions at Applied Materials
In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Applied Materials Price Performance
AMAT opened at $479.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $380.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $556.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $455.61.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
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. 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 presently 18.28%.
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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