BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments Lowers Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,742 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 8,173 shares during the period. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Applied Materials by 21.8% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $1,531,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $45,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Chad R lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% during the fourth quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate 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: Recent coverage points to renewed optimism around Applied Materials’ exposure to AI infrastructure spending, with analysts and market commentary highlighting strong demand in logic, DRAM, and advanced packaging. Applied Materials jumps 6.8% as AI-driven equipment demand and analyst optimism lift shares
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with multiple recent buy-equivalent ratings and several price targets above current trading levels, suggesting analysts see more upside for AMAT. 3 chip stocks to buy after recent SOX pullback: Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has been a standout performer this year, with articles noting it has outpaced much of the broader technology sector, which can attract momentum buyers. Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Applied Materials (AMAT) This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several stories are revisiting whether AMAT is still a buy after a large year-to-date rally, reflecting valuation debate rather than a clear change in fundamentals. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock After a 167% Rise in a Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector-wide coverage of AMAT trading alongside KLA Corporation suggests the move also reflects broader strength in semiconductor equipment names, not just company-specific news. Applied Materials and KLA Corporation stocks trade up, what you need to know
• Negative Sentiment: There is some caution from insiders and commentators, including reports of recent insider selling, which can modestly weigh on sentiment even if it does not change the long-term thesis. Insider Selling: Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CFO Sells $1,247,150.00 in Stock

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $470.13.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $492.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $390.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $510.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $412.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $344.99.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

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.