Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Q Fund Management Hong Kong Ltd

Q Fund Management Hong Kong Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 80.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,640 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,760 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 0.8% of Q Fund Management Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Q Fund Management Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth about $1,589,000. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 333.3% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Evolve Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $729,211,000 after buying an additional 28,982 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its $5 billion EPIC Center in Sunnyvale, California, a collaborative research facility involving customers and partners including Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The center is intended to shorten chip-development cycles and accelerate the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies. Applied Materials’ $5 billion AI lab aims to cut chip development time in half
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted opportunities to gain more than two percentage points of semiconductor-equipment market share by 2030, grow eBeam equipment revenue to approximately $2 billion in 2026 and increase semiconductor-services revenue to more than $12 billion by 2030. These targets support the long-term AI and advanced-node investment thesis. Applied Materials Set to Outperform as AI Drives Sustained Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Ventures invested in Flexcompute, supporting an AI platform that uses physics-based modeling to speed semiconductor design, simulation and materials prototyping. The initiative could improve customer workflows and create strategic benefits over time. Applied Materials Backs AI Physics Modeling Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an $850 price target, implying substantial upside, but the bullish view has not offset near-term investor concerns. Erste Group also made only a modest increase to its FY2027 EPS forecast while retaining a “Hold” rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader semiconductor-equipment group sold off amid profit-taking after a strong year, weakness in Asian chip stocks and caution ahead of U.S. inflation data. AMAT’s valuation—about 40 times earnings—leaves the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI spending or earnings expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appeared disappointed by the clarity and detail of Applied Materials’ 2030 outlook. Reports indicate that management’s long-term guidance did not fully match elevated expectations, while an omitted metric or target at investor day was interpreted by some investors as a potential sell signal. Why Applied Materials Sank Today

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AMAT. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $605.00 target price (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $464.24 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $486.82 and a 200-day moving average of $484.20. The firm has a market cap of $368.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.