Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by ABN Amro Investment Solutions

ABN Amro Investment Solutions reduced its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 317,248 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,872 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.3% of ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $64,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $1,604,002,000. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,409,320,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Applied Materials by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,483,183,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700,349 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1,704.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,439,598 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $499,483,000 after buying an additional 2,304,369 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 417.3% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,732,015 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $317,053,000 after buying an additional 1,397,217 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $400.00 in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.03.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $354.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $376.32. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $295.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.19. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.

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.