Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Has $33.33 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 17.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 97,521 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,182 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $33,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after buying an additional 373,012 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 17.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,558,749 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $501.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $398.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $549.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $429.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share 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 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 (DPR) is 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $599.19.

Applied Materials Company 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.