Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 4.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 522,534 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,947 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 1.3% of Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $106,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. WBI Investments LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 8.4% in the third quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 13,151 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 71.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 7,716 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after purchasing an additional 3,204 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 193.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 2,776 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,830 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 79,850 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $16,349,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Applied Materials
Applied Materials News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, with a low forward payout ratio and long-term dividend growth — signals management confidence and returns cash to shareholders. As Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%, Should You Buy AMAT Stock?
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry pieces position AMAT as a key beneficiary of an AI-driven semiconductor cycle (memory, logic, tooling), reinforcing growth expectations for equipment makers. Applied Materials: The AI Gold Rush Everyone Is Missing
- Positive Sentiment: Research/technology-focused coverage highlights AMAT’s process node relevance (gate-all-around) and upgrades its buy thesis — technical roadmap upside can drive order cycles. Applied Materials: The Gate-All-Around Inflection Point Justifies A Strong Buy
- Positive Sentiment: AMAT announced a collaboration with Synopsys and NVIDIA to speed quantum chemistry simulations for chip R&D — could shorten materials development cycles and improve competitive positioning. Applied Materials Ties Quantum Simulations To AI Chip R&D Story
- Positive Sentiment: Investor mentions: billionaire investor Ken Fisher included AMAT among notable moves for 2026, providing a retail/market sentiment tailwind. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Billionaire Ken Fisher Remains Positive on Semis
- Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the dividend yield remains low (~0.6%) despite the hike and multiple dividend-focused write-ups reiterate yield/context rather than changing the growth story. Applied Materials Dividend Growth Adds New Dimension to AI Trade
- Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zeroed out and shouldn’t be read as a material new signal today. Short interest data (market feed)
Applied Materials Price Performance
Shares of AMAT opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $336.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $395.95. The company has a market cap of $279.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.08, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.
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.
Further Reading
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