Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by State of Wisconsin Investment Board

State of Wisconsin Investment Board decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 418,007 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,904 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $107,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $685,684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term partnership with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop augmented reality optics platforms and AI-powered smart eyewear, expanding the company beyond chip equipment into a potentially new growth market. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to solve 3D chip-scaling challenges, reinforcing its role in enabling next-generation AI chips and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary stayed upbeat, with higher price targets from Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald and multiple articles highlighting strong momentum in AI-related businesses and the company’s recent surge. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces noted that Applied Materials has already had a very strong move this year and may be extended on valuation, which could temper enthusiasm even as fundamentals improve. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said the stock dropped despite the smart-glasses deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or questioning whether the new initiatives justify the current valuation immediately. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Argus upped their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $600.91. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $436.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.14. The firm has a market cap of $451.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue 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, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Applied Materials Company 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.