Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Purchases New Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 53,417 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,937,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,369 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in Applied Materials by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,958 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Revisor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $267,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $325.24 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $257.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $266.92 and a 200-day moving average of $220.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $331.00.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target sharply to $390 (from $260) and maintained a Buy — a sizable, high-profile upgrade that supports upside for the shares. Needham raises AMAT price target
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest in AMAT has fallen significantly, reducing near-term bearish pressure and making upward moves easier to sustain. Short interest decrease
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and other banks are lifting price targets across large tech names, a backdrop that can lift AMAT via sector re-rating and inclusion in bullish analyst notes. Goldman Sachs raises targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces are reframing AMAT as an AI-toolchain winner (AI-driven beats shifting the investment narrative), which supports higher long-term demand but leaves timing and magnitude open to debate. AI-fueled narrative analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with ASML highlight AMAT’s broader exposure (HBM, NAND, packaging) versus ASML’s EUV specialization — a diversification story that may appeal to investors preferring multi-node exposure over a single-technology play. AMAT vs ASML comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media rundowns reiterate AMAT’s Q3 positioning relative to other semiconductor-equipment names — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Q3 Rundown
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/“too late” concerns after a ~72% one-year surge — several articles question whether gains are already priced in, which could cap upside for risk-averse investors or trigger profit-taking. Valuation concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces urging investors to “ignore the China drama” and buy AMAT emphasize durable end-market demand (AI, memory), supporting the bullish thesis. Buy thesis coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad “spotting winners” lists include AMAT as a candidate among semiconductor-manufacturing plays — helpful for sentiment but not a direct fundamental catalyst. Spotting winners

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $273.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.89.

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.