University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 11,408 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,932,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on AMAT. Argus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Barclays increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $483.03.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 3.3%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $585.78 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $599.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $431.96 and a 200-day moving average of $355.90. The company has a market cap of $465.09 billion, a PE ratio of 55.00, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

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.