Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 490,168 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,799 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.8% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $354,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $514.33 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $565.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $448.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $408.36 billion, a PE ratio of 44.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has gained significant investor attention as a key beneficiary of AI-related semiconductor and memory-fabrication investment. Its broad equipment portfolio and exposure to strong chip demand support the longer-term growth outlook. Applied Materials Rockets 98% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive, citing AI-driven growth, semiconductor demand and Applied Materials’ diversified product portfolio as reasons to hold the stock despite its premium valuation. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley and Needham reiterated Buy ratings, while separate analyst reports raised price targets to $600 and $660, reinforcing bullish expectations for continued earnings and industry growth. Applied Materials Buy Rating Reiterated
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials has substantially outperformed Lam Research and KLA in the 2026 AI-capex rally. The comparison suggests the shares have greater momentum but may also face higher expectations if chip-equipment spending slows. AMAT Compared With Lam Research and KLA
• Negative Sentiment: Recent doubts about the durability of AI spending triggered a broad pullback in chip-equipment stocks. Applied Materials’ roughly 98% year-to-date advance leaves the stock particularly exposed to de-risking and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argues that AMAT is “priced for perfection,” while another notes that beating Wall Street estimates may not be sufficient to support further gains when valuation and forward expectations are already demanding. Applied Materials Is Priced for Perfection

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $683.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $643.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 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.