Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd Makes New $12.08 Million Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 47,015 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,082,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after purchasing an additional 373,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $2,858,543,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.0%

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

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company 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 earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $483.03.

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.