Nykredit A S Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 326,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $235,821,000. Applied Materials accounts for 0.7% of Nykredit A S’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $438.46 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $541.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $460.06. The company has a market capitalization of $347.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for 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%.Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 231,692 shares of company stock worth $146,114,059. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $675 to $695 and reaffirmed a Buy rating, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. UBS raises Applied Materials price target
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals remain strong: Applied Materials recently reported record revenue, earnings above consensus and higher guidance. Erste Group Bank also increased its FY2027 earnings estimate to $18.56 per share from $17.13, reflecting expectations for continued semiconductor-equipment demand. Applied Materials stock performance and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term growth drivers include artificial-intelligence chip production, advanced-node manufacturing, advanced packaging and factory-capacity expansion. Applied Materials’ broad equipment portfolio and shareholder returns through stock repurchases add support to the investment case. Should investors buy, sell or hold AMAT stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry forecasts point to expanding semiconductor wafer-inspection demand driven by AI, electric vehicles, foundries and advanced packaging. However, the report covers the broader market and does not guarantee near-term Applied Materials revenue growth. Semiconductor wafer inspection equipment market outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and macroeconomic pressures are weighing on the stock. After a substantial year-to-date advance, investors appear to be taking profits and demanding stronger results to justify AMAT’s elevated earnings multiple. Rising Treasury yields and crude oil prices have also pressured semiconductor stocks by increasing borrowing costs and reducing appetite for high-growth, high-multiple shares. Semiconductor and technology stocks decline amid rising yields

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $658.45.

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.