Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $680.53 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,717,354 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 105,545 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 0.9% of Lazard Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.46% of Applied Materials worth $680,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total value of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AMAT shares. DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America upgraded Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.74.

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $259.21 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $276.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $236.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.44. The stock has a market cap of $206.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Applied Materials Company 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.