Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 68.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 146,209 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,199 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $75,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in Applied Materials by 19.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,876 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Applied Materials by 16.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Applied Materials News Roundup
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 Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $332.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $264.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $444.84 and a 200 day moving average of $444.66.
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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders 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.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Evercore set a $590.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Thirty 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.01.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Applied Materials
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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