1,183 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Purchased by Renaissance Investment Group LLC

Renaissance Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $855,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Factor Wealth Management LTD bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $258,000. Praetorian Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $320,000. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Finally, Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain major tailwinds. Citi analysts identified Applied Materials as a top pick following a semiconductor selloff, arguing that the AI upcycle is still in its early stages. AMAT supplies deposition, etch, inspection and packaging equipment needed to manufacture advanced AI chips. Citi Analysts See Golden Opportunity in Semiconductor Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are positioned for earnings growth. Wall Street expects year-over-year earnings improvement when Applied Materials reports on Aug. 13. Analysts and financial commentators point to growing demand for memory, logic and advanced packaging equipment, while the consensus price target cited in recent coverage implies meaningful upside. The company’s latest reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue estimates. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is broadly favorable but not unanimous. Several reports describe AMAT as a Buy and highlight potential upside, but Erste Group Bank AG downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold. The mixed recommendations may limit enthusiasm after the stock’s recent rebound.
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry’s disclosed short position is pressuring AI-related stocks. Burry has reportedly bet against Applied Materials and other AI-linked semiconductor names while warning of a potential 1987-style market reversal. His comments have increased concern that elevated AI valuations and semiconductor momentum could unwind. Applied Materials Faces Fresh Scrutiny After Michael Burry Short Bet
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings create near-term event risk. AMAT has rallied sharply from its late-July low, raising the bar for the upcoming report. Even an earnings beat could trigger profit-taking if guidance or AI-related demand fails to exceed elevated expectations.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $527.48 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $557.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $437.00. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $418.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.53, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $603.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.