Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Grows Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 257,172 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,344 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $52,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 11,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,358,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 11.8% in the third quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $3,378,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,480 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sava Infond d.o.o. grew its position in Applied Materials by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 60,205 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,326,000 after purchasing an additional 2,040 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,914,628. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $375.38 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $304.98 and its 200 day moving average is $243.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $297.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $377.11.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank raised Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.04.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat + aggressive guidance: AMAT’s Feb. quarter topped estimates and management issued strong growth commentary (management projected robust 2026 sales and raised near?term outlook), which is the fundamental catalyst behind renewed analyst optimism and higher targets. Zacks Analyst Blog
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and target increases: Zacks moved AMAT to Strong Buy and major brokers (Goldman, UBS, Barclays, Stifel, Susquehanna) have lifted price targets — these research moves increase buy?side conviction and can drive follow?on flows. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Considered a Good Investment by Brokers
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy bullish options activity: reported large volume of call purchases (well above typical daily levels) implies traders are positioning for more upside or hedging existing longs — such flows can amplify short?term moves. Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events scheduled: management will appear at upcoming conferences — useful for more detail/Q&A but not an immediate earnings shock. Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest reports look unreliable: published data showing zero/NaN short interest and 0.0 days?to?cover are likely reporting errors and should be ignored for positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares (~$1.8M). Routine liquidity sales are common, but some investors interpret insider selling as a mild cautionary signal. SEC Form 4

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.