Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Groupe la Francaise

Groupe la Francaise lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 339.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 154,898 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 119,687 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $52,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 17.0% in the first quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP now owns 97,521 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,332,000 after purchasing an additional 14,182 shares during the period. Pathway Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Pathway Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 421 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its position in Applied Materials by 353.8% in the 1st quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 649 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Chip stocks led a technology-sector rally, improving sentiment toward Applied Materials and other semiconductor-equipment makers. The move reflects renewed investor appetite for AI-related hardware and infrastructure exposure. Chip Stocks Boost Tech-Led Rebound Rally at Software’s Expense
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ participation in the AI Materials Foundry could strengthen long-term demand expectations for its wafer-fabrication equipment. The company’s recent earnings beat, including higher-than-expected revenue and earnings, provides additional fundamental support. Applied Materials Stock May Not Be a Bargain Despite AI Materials Foundry News
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy online searches for AMAT indicate elevated investor attention, but the article offers no new fundamental development or change to the company’s outlook. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Despite its pullback, AMAT may not be a clear bargain after a multiyear gain, potentially limiting upside unless AI-driven demand accelerates enough to justify its valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor shares have faced concerns about stronger Chinese competition and whether AI-related demand can remain sustainable. Weakness and growth concerns at peer KLA add to caution around semiconductor-equipment stocks. Semiconductor Stocks Trade Down

Applied Materials Trading Up 15.0%

AMAT opened at $501.77 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The company has a market cap of $398.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.11, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $549.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $429.43.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $599.19.

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.