Renaissance Group LLC Sells 51,826 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Renaissance Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 152,584 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 51,826 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.6% of Renaissance Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Renaissance Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $39,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $685,684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $480.13.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 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 $534.44. The company has a market capitalization of $394.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.67, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $418.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.79.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

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.