Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $231.05 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,262,058 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 119,844 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $231,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 133.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 218 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.4%

Applied Materials stock opened at $235.13 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $242.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $216.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.70. The company has a market cap of $187.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Summit Insights cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays increased their price target on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.74.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.