Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Flossbach Von Storch SE

Flossbach Von Storch SE decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,408,464 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 53,256 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.9% of Flossbach Von Storch SE’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Flossbach Von Storch SE’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $493,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,920,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,125,265,000 after purchasing an additional 391,540 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,026,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,836,807,000 after purchasing an additional 407,282 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Applied Materials by 72.5% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,483,183,000 after acquiring an additional 5,700,349 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,936,363 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,635,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075,525 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $1,604,002,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after forecasting a “significant acceleration” in wafer fab equipment (WFE) upgrades, a direct demand driver for Applied Materials’ tools and services. This upgrade supports a more bullish revenue outlook for 2026. AMAT stock: Mizuho sees ‘significant acceleration’ in WFE, upgrades rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and media pieces are positioning AMAT as a top pick for 2026, arguing the stock still has upside as secular demand for semiconductor capacity drives multi-year spending. This boosts investor confidence in the growth story. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a shortage it can’t meet—an indication of strong demand vs. constrained supply that tends to support pricing power and order books. Media amplification of that view can lift sentiment. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: AMAT recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and provided upbeat Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance (1.98–2.38), supporting the case that earnings momentum underpins the rally. (Company reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for late January appears inconsistent (records showing zeros and NaN changes); current public figures don’t give a clear signal on bearish positioning or squeeze risk. Analysts and traders should treat the short-interest prints cautiously.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail and search interest noted by Zacks — attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental by itself. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2%

AMAT opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $267.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $344.04. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $276.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Applied Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $360.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $273.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.14.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company 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.