Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 34.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 102,510 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,148 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $26,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $418.73 and a 200-day moving average of $348.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $534.44.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $480.13.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

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.