Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Maj Invest Holding A S

Maj Invest Holding A S decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 124,960 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 51,791 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for about 2.8% of Maj Invest Holding A S’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Maj Invest Holding A S’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $63,905,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,589,000. CX Institutional boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 333.3% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after buying an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after buying an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,521,000 after buying an additional 105,776 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Memory shortage supports equipment demand. SK Hynix’s forecast that a memory shortage could persist through 2030 suggests years of additional fab construction and equipment purchases. Applied Materials rose alongside Lam Research and KLA as investors anticipated increased orders from memory manufacturers. Chip Equipment Stocks Rally as SK Hynix Signals Memory Shortage Into 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded BE Semiconductor stake strengthens the AI-packaging strategy. Applied Materials plans to increase its ownership of Dutch equipment maker BE Semiconductor Industries to approximately 20% from 9%, deepening cooperation in hybrid bonding and advanced interconnect technologies used in AI and high-performance-computing chips. Shares in BE Semiconductor jump after Applied Materials raises stake to 20%
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry forecasts remain constructive. Bernstein issued a Buy rating, while analysts expect strong double-digit earnings growth ahead of the company’s fourth-quarter report. A new industry report also projects substantial expansion in epitaxial wafer and chip technology, where Applied Materials is a major participant. Applied Materials receives a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate-governance attention is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Applied Materials joined other large companies objecting to tokenized versions of their shares offered through OKX and Intercontinental Exchange under an SEC innovation framework.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from China exposure, supply bottlenecks and valuation. Analysts caution that export restrictions and dependence on constrained semiconductor supply chains could limit the rally. AMAT’s recent decline and valuation near 36 times earnings also leave the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI or memory spending.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $416.00 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $330.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $461.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $442.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Thirty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.