Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 16,770 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Impax Asset Management Group plc lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 242,832 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 16,770 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 1.1% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $175,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% during the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 183.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $334,521,000 after buying an additional 105,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 204.8% in the 4th quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $36,177,000 after buying an additional 94,587 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $492.32 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $390.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $562.67 and its 200-day moving average is $451.92.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued 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 is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $659.83.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

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.