PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co Buys 1,000 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 25,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $640.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $508.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $455.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $368.31. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $641.18.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 0.3%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials to $710 from $550 and kept a Buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the semiconductor equipment maker’s outlook. A Growing Supply Gap Has Analysts Eyeing Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Reuters reported that Applied Materials signed a long-term deal with EssilorLuxottica to develop augmented-reality display technology and AI glasses, expanding its opportunity in emerging wearable and AI-related markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) and EssilorLuxottica Sign Long-Term Deal, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says AI demand may help justify AMAT’s premium valuation, with investors focusing on the company’s role in semiconductor and AI infrastructure spending. Applied Materials Is Now More Expensive Than Its Dot-Com Era Peak. AI Demand Justifies the AMAT Stock Valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares, a routine filing that may draw attention but does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles highlighted concerns that AMAT’s valuation is becoming stretched, which could limit near-term upside if growth expectations cool. Applied Materials Stock Looks Pricey—Can AI Demand Justify the Rally?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock valued at $114,104,709. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus increased their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $495.45.

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.