R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,611 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $551,000.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,947,891,000 after buying an additional 373,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $2,858,543,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum stock list for July 7, which may support investor interest in the name. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for July 7th
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Applied Materials to $647 from $502, signaling continued analyst confidence even though the firm kept an equal-weight rating. Applied Materials Given New $647.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley
- Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs also lifted its target on AMAT to $645, helping drive a broader chip-stock rally earlier in the session. 2 Chip Stocks Driving Today’s Rally With Lofty Bull Notes
- Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AI-related product momentum remains a theme after it unveiled the SENZ platform to speed smart-glasses development, reinforcing its positioning in AI-enabled hardware. Applied Materials Unveils AI-Powered SENZ Platform to Accelerate Smart Glasses Development
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted AMAT as a popular and “best stocks on the rise” candidate, but these pieces are largely sentiment-driven rather than tied to a specific new operational catalyst. Is Applied Materials One of the Best Stocks on the Rise to Invest In?
- Negative Sentiment: Chip stocks, including Applied Materials, were pressured by a broader semiconductor selloff after Samsung earnings triggered risk-off trading across the group. Intel and Applied Materials Dive 10%, AMD Craters 8% as Samsung Earnings Trigger Chip Selloff
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Read Our Latest Report on AMAT
Insider Transactions at Applied Materials
In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Applied Materials Trading Down 8.5%
Shares of AMAT stock traded down $50.19 on Tuesday, reaching $542.60. 5,710,242 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,267,771. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $430.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $499.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $391.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date 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 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.
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