Fiera Capital Corp Boosts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Fiera Capital Corp grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 65.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,841 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 40,933 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $26,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $492.17 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $510.75. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $412.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $344.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $390.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.21, a PEG 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The company’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. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.