Xponance LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Xponance LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,169 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,265 shares during the period. Xponance LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $37,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in 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. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $557.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $422.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.11. The stock has a market cap of $438.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.89, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials, now expecting $12.20 EPS for FY2026 and $16.29 EPS for FY2027, well above the current consensus of $12.02 for this year. The firm kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum remains strong. Applied Materials earnings estimate upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating, and several other firms recently lifted price targets, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in Applied Materials’ role in the AI-driven chip equipment cycle. Barclays bullish on Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Applied Materials as a top HBM/AI infrastructure stock, while its Singapore expansion and broader semiconductor capex outlook support the case for longer-term revenue growth. Applied Materials AI and HBM demand article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader markets were strong on Thursday, which may also have helped sentiment toward cyclical semiconductor names like AMAT. Market rally article
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note mentioned that investors were weighing the company’s $500 million Singapore expansion, which could pressure near-term margins or cash flow even as it supports future demand. Singapore expansion cost article

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight 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 target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Company 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.