BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 42,619 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 435,838 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 42,619 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.0% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $112,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $453.01 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $510.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $359.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.67. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $408.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $342.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $470.13.

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.