Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: International Assets Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings

International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5,463.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 150,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 147,304 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.6% of International Assets Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $76,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 1.6% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Applied Materials by 85.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after buying an additional 32,018,892 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,252,863,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 7.5%

AMAT stock opened at $390.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $309.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $457.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $443.63. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ planned move to raise its Besi stake to 20% is strengthening its exposure to hybrid bonding, a packaging technology that could benefit from rising AI-chip complexity. TIKR describes a bullish long-term scenario, with a potential price target of approximately $806 versus a roughly $628 Wall Street target. Applied Materials hybrid bonding analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a quarter with 51% growth and argues that AMAT trades at about 23 times forward earnings, a valuation that may look reasonable if AI-related semiconductor-equipment demand remains strong. The company also recently exceeded earnings and revenue estimates and issued fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $3.82–$4.22. Applied Materials growth and valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: AMAT is attracting unusually high investor attention, but the Zacks reports primarily review the company’s prospects rather than identify a new fundamental catalyst. Zacks Applied Materials investor attention report
• Negative Sentiment: Compared with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Applied Materials has shown a flatter revenue trajectory and less consistent quarter-over-quarter growth. That comparison may reinforce concerns that AMAT’s elevated valuation already discounts substantial AI-driven demand. Applied Materials versus Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. New Street Research decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.