Korea Investment CORP Purchases 45,138 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 683,745 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 45,138 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $175,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in Applied Materials by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $1,531,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $45,700,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Chad R lifted its position in Applied Materials by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,297,000 after buying an additional 7,170 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company has a market capitalization of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.67. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $427.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $569.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.