Bank of Nova Scotia Purchases 711,224 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 419.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 880,610 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 711,224 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $300,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $86,610,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 5,984,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,537,913,000 after purchasing an additional 2,635,284 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $562.80 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $542.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $422.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $446.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Applied Materials’ upcoming fiscal third-quarter report on Aug. 13 to show double-digit earnings growth, reinforcing confidence in the company’s near-term fundamentals. What to Expect From Applied Materials’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a beneficiary of AI-driven semiconductor spending, with the sector rally and broader enthusiasm for chip equipment supporting sentiment around AMAT. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: News that TSMC plans major expansion in Arizona and may raise chip prices helped boost Applied Materials, since more fab spending can translate into stronger equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Jumps On TSMC Expansion As Fair Value Debate Stays Open
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 13, keeping investor focus on the next catalyst for the stock. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Results on Aug. 13, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as a quality “wide-moat” semiconductor name and a stock to watch, but these pieces were more thematic than immediately market-moving. Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Invest in for Sustainable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary suggested the stock had been under short-term pressure before rebounding, indicating volatility rather than a clear fundamental shift. History Says Applied Materials Stock Looks Ripe for Rebound

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $593.84.

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.