Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.

Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. lessened its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,188 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,424 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 1.8% of Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $2,858,543,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,247,838,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,730 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $418.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $348.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.61 billion, a PE ratio of 46.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. 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 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $534.44.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. HSBC started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $480.13.

Key Headlines 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.