Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Twin Capital Management Inc.

Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,224 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary suggested AI-driven semiconductor equipment spending could stay elevated for years, strengthening confidence in Applied Materials’ multiyear demand outlook. Applied Materials CEO Just Reinforced the AI Investment Thesis. How to Play AMAT Stock Here.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on AMAT, citing strong demand commentary and expecting EPS growth of more than 36% over the next year. Mizuho Raises PT on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a key AI infrastructure and “picks-and-shovels” play, with articles arguing the stock could continue trending higher alongside AI hardware spending. Applied Materials: The Picks-and-Shovels Play in an AI Era Will Continue to Trend Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also pointed to a 10-year AI packaging partnership with TSMC and a Buy rating from Bernstein, both of which support the bull case for long-term demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Lands 10 Year TSMC AI Packaging Partnership Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes the stock has already run sharply over the past six months, so investors may be weighing whether much of the AI optimism is already priced in. 2 Reasons to Watch AMAT and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor strength and lower inflation also helped sentiment across AI hardware names, including AMAT, KLA, and Teradyne. Applied Materials, KLA Corporation, and Teradyne Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $579.43 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $460.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $528.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $410.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

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 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.