OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,640 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,975,000. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 9.3% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position.
Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,589,000. CX Institutional boosted its position in Applied Materials by 333.3% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 19,886 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $729,211,000 after purchasing an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $334,521,000 after purchasing an additional 105,776 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
- Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
- Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
- Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade
Applied Materials Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $13.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $332.71. The company had a trading volume of 9,456,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,369,214. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $444.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $444.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.
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 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 the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. 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 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective (up from $500.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT
Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials
In other Applied Materials 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 owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Applied Materials 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.
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.
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