Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 50.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 75,303 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,152 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy and $500 price target, calling Applied one of the best?positioned wafer fab equipment suppliers — a clear bullish endorsement for long?term AI/advanced packaging demand. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Applied agreed to buy the NEXX business from ASMPT, adding panel?level advanced packaging tools and engineering teams that strengthen its AI chip packaging lineup — a strategic M&A move supporting revenue mix expansion. Applied Materials Expands AI Packaging With NEXX Deal As Stock Surges
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly raised its price target ahead of earnings, adding to a wave of bullish analyst commentary that can underpin the stock into the report. Morgan Stanley upgrades Applied Materials stock price target pre-earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews and consensus models show Wall Street expects earnings growth and position AMAT to possibly beat on the upcoming report, which can produce a post?earnings rally if results and guidance are strong. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Technically, AMAT recently moved above its 20?day moving average, signaling short?term bullish momentum that can attract momentum traders. Applied Materials (AMAT) Just Overtook the 20-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will participate in investor conferences this month — useful for incremental color on demand, but not an immediate catalyst unless new guidance or surprises emerge. Applied Materials to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor and AI infrastructure coverage highlights strong sector tailwinds (SOXX/SMH/FTXL themes) that benefit AMAT over the medium term but also keep it tied to cyclicality in capex. Semiconductor Leaders SOXX, SMH, and FTXL Are Crushing It on AI Infrastructure Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted AMAT fell more than the broader market on the day, pointing to profit?taking and pre?earnings positioning as drivers of near?term volatility — a reminder that a strong run leaves the stock vulnerable to pullbacks. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions persist — coverage noting a P/S near 9.4x and the stock’s large YTD gain could limit upside and increase sensitivity to any guidance miss. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock at a P/S Valuation of 9.39X?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.86.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $410.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $326.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $432.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $371.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.19.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

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.