Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Has $138.74 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 539,866 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,841 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $138,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,099,085 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $796,435,000 after purchasing an additional 415,450 shares in the last quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $537,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 75.7% during the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 115,469 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $29,674,000 after buying an additional 49,737 shares during the last quarter. Peak Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $6,492,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $971,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.6%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $569.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $427.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $352.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $483.03.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,944,800. This trade represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last quarter. 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.