KBC Group NV Has $155.93 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 32.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 851,755 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 406,862 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.11% of Applied Materials worth $155,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Maseco LLP bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7%

AMAT opened at $228.67 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $208.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50. The firm has a market cap of $182.17 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $242.50.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on AMAT. Cfra Research upgraded Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Bank of America raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, October 13th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 target price (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.31.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.