Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Lowers Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 12,296 shares during the quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $585.78 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $431.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.90. The stock has a market cap of $465.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $599.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% 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. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to help chipmakers build next-generation 3D structures more precisely, which supports the company’s role in AI chip manufacturing and could lift long-term demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Applied Materials and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing confidence that wafer fab equipment spending remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer singled out AMAT favorably on Mad Money, which may have added to the stock’s momentum as investors look for semiconductor names with upside when the sector strengthens. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted AMAT hitting 52-week highs alongside broader semiconductor strength, suggesting the stock is benefiting from renewed optimism in the chip equipment group. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that AMAT has rallied sharply and may be extended near recent highs, meaning some traders see room for caution if the stock needs to consolidate before its next move. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Seeking Alpha argued the stock is not cheap enough to buy aggressively, but also not weak enough to sell, reflecting a valuation debate rather than a clear bearish catalyst. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.03.

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.