Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $18.46 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,536 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,878 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $18,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 277,820 shares of company stock valued at $169,538,434 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. William Blair started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $659.83.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $492.32 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $562.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $451.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $390.88 billion, a PE ratio of 42.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

About Applied Materials

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.