Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Makes New $123.35 Million Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 240,905 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $123,346,000. Applied Materials comprises approximately 0.3% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $57,993,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Applied Materials by 85.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after purchasing an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,876 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $5,252,863,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials recently reported 41% growth in adjusted earnings per share and 52% growth in DRAM revenue, alongside higher revenue guidance. Ongoing investment in capacity and hybrid bonding technology could support future growth. Article: Did Earnings Growth Just Shift Applied Materials Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $538 from $563 and maintained an Equal Weight/Hold rating. The target remains well above the price cited in the coverage, but the downgrade reflects execution risks and tempered analyst conviction. Article: Applied Materials: Promising Demand Offset by Execution Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: The November 12 earnings report is a near-term focal point: results and guidance could either reassure investors after the selloff or reinforce concerns. Article: Applied Materials Just Dropped 29% In a Month
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has lost nearly 29% over the past month as semiconductor-equipment shares faced broad selling. Coverage tied a recent chip-sector rout to Intel’s outlook, suggesting industry concerns—not just company-specific news—have weighed on the stock. Article: Applied Materials Sinks in Intel’s Chip Rout

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 16th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.0%

AMAT opened at $381.92 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $453.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $444.38. The firm has a market cap of $303.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.