Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. cut its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 460,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 18,930 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 0.6% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $332,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 284,192 shares of company stock valued at $172,625,209 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.3%

AMAT stock opened at $461.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $366.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.80, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $550.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $456.77.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage highlights Applied Materials’ $9.12 billion third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.50, up 41%. Management cited record demand visibility from AI infrastructure, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion. The company is also continuing share repurchases and investing $5 billion in its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor innovation. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: AMAT appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and industry experience could strengthen oversight as Applied Materials pursues growth tied to advanced logic, memory and AI chip production. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals elevated uncertainty: A new analysis says options pricing for roughly one year ahead implies a particularly wide potential trading range, extending materially below and above the current level. That suggests investors should expect significant volatility rather than providing a clear directional signal. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
• Negative Sentiment: CFO share sale may weigh modestly on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 AMAT shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct holdings by 5.51%. The sale does not alter the company’s operating outlook, but insider selling can create a limited short-term sentiment overhang. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $657.76.

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.