Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 258.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,094 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,161 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $10,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock opened at $480.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $380.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.38, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $558.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $454.37. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly named Applied Materials a “top pick,” citing the company’s exposure to the continued buildout of AI infrastructure and chip-manufacturing capacity. Applied Materials Stock Is Named a Top Pick at Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see significant upside after the stock’s decline from its high, with AI-driven semiconductor investment and record quarterly revenue supporting bullish price targets. One report cited an average target near $641, implying roughly 32% potential appreciation from recent levels. Wall Street Sees Rally Despite Decline From Peak
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is viewed as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending because its equipment and engineering solutions are essential to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Why Investors Should Buy the Dip in AMAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its Applied Materials price target from $650 to $590 but retained an “outperform” rating. The reduced target reflects more cautious expectations, while the rating still indicates confidence in the company’s longer-term prospects. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported August short-interest figures show zero shares and a mathematically invalid change, making the data unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reduced risk ahead of NVIDIA’s results, weighing on Applied Materials alongside other chipmakers. Semiconductor Stocks Slide Ahead of NVIDIA Earnings

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group set a $675.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $657.76.

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.