Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 346,201 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,599,639 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 346,201 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.5% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,939,271,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in 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 valued at $8,405,458,000 after acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after acquiring an additional 373,012 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,746,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary suggested AI-driven semiconductor equipment spending could stay elevated for years, strengthening confidence in Applied Materials’ multiyear demand outlook. Applied Materials CEO Just Reinforced the AI Investment Thesis. How to Play AMAT Stock Here.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on AMAT, citing strong demand commentary and expecting EPS growth of more than 36% over the next year. Mizuho Raises PT on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a key AI infrastructure and “picks-and-shovels” play, with articles arguing the stock could continue trending higher alongside AI hardware spending. Applied Materials: The Picks-and-Shovels Play in an AI Era Will Continue to Trend Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also pointed to a 10-year AI packaging partnership with TSMC and a Buy rating from Bernstein, both of which support the bull case for long-term demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Lands 10 Year TSMC AI Packaging Partnership Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes the stock has already run sharply over the past six months, so investors may be weighing whether much of the AI optimism is already priced in. 2 Reasons to Watch AMAT and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor strength and lower inflation also helped sentiment across AI hardware names, including AMAT, KLA, and Teradyne. Applied Materials, KLA Corporation, and Teradyne Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $579.43 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $460.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.41, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $528.23 and a 200-day moving average of $410.12. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $593.84.

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.