Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT is William Allan Corp’s Largest Position

William Allan Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,637 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,529 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 6.9% of William Allan Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. William Allan Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,858,543,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 42.6% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,247,838,000 after buying an additional 3,280,730 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $438.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.89, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $422.95 and a 200 day moving average of $351.11. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $557.62. 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 the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 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. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMAT. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials, now expecting $12.20 EPS for FY2026 and $16.29 EPS for FY2027, well above the current consensus of $12.02 for this year. The firm kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum remains strong. Applied Materials earnings estimate upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating, and several other firms recently lifted price targets, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in Applied Materials’ role in the AI-driven chip equipment cycle. Barclays bullish on Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Applied Materials as a top HBM/AI infrastructure stock, while its Singapore expansion and broader semiconductor capex outlook support the case for longer-term revenue growth. Applied Materials AI and HBM demand article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader markets were strong on Thursday, which may also have helped sentiment toward cyclical semiconductor names like AMAT. Market rally article
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note mentioned that investors were weighing the company’s $500 million Singapore expansion, which could pressure near-term margins or cash flow even as it supports future demand. Singapore expansion cost article

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.