Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Lifted by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 214.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 167,938 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 114,521 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $44,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 40.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Applied Materials by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after acquiring an additional 373,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $585.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $431.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $355.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $599.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $465.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.00, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to help chipmakers build next-generation 3D structures more precisely, which supports the company’s role in AI chip manufacturing and could lift long-term demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Applied Materials and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing confidence that wafer fab equipment spending remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer singled out AMAT favorably on Mad Money, which may have added to the stock’s momentum as investors look for semiconductor names with upside when the sector strengthens. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted AMAT hitting 52-week highs alongside broader semiconductor strength, suggesting the stock is benefiting from renewed optimism in the chip equipment group. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that AMAT has rallied sharply and may be extended near recent highs, meaning some traders see room for caution if the stock needs to consolidate before its next move. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Seeking Alpha argued the stock is not cheap enough to buy aggressively, but also not weak enough to sell, reflecting a valuation debate rather than a clear bearish catalyst. Article Title

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.