Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: M&G PLC Boosts Holdings

M&G PLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 838.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,593 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 30,907 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $17,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,252,863,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity could drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced-packaging equipment, creating a potential growth opportunity for Applied Materials. The Next AI Chip Shortage May Be the Machines That Make HBM
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its price target to $475 from $700 but maintained a Buy rating, leaving substantial implied upside from the cited share price. B. Riley Cut Its Applied Materials Target to $475. It Still Sees 28% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a potentially large post-earnings move, signaling heightened volatility rather than a clear directional view. Investors will be watching results and the company’s outlook. Why Options Traders Expect a Major Post-Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: A technical analysis article says AMAT is nearing a “death cross” after a steep retreat from its high, which could signal further downside if the bearish pattern forms. Applied Materials Stock: Death Cross Pattern Nears Ahead of Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs sold about $200.2 million of Applied Materials shares on Friday, adding a short-term source of selling pressure. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Applied Materials

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $700.00 to $475.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $625.76.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $372.53 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $441.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $445.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.