Capelight Capital Asset Management LP Increases Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Capelight Capital Asset Management LP boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 100.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 20,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 4.8% of Capelight Capital Asset Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Capelight Capital Asset Management LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.4% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 48,452 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $16,560,000 after purchasing an additional 8,557 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $8,944,000. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 59.2% during the first quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 332,858 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $113,768,000 after buying an additional 123,800 shares during the last quarter. New World Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 114.2% during the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,856,000 after buying an additional 7,573 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 7.4%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $603.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $478.79 billion, a PE ratio of 56.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $495.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $389.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $553.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending, with coverage emphasizing its role in DRAM and advanced packaging innovations that support next-generation semiconductor growth. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Discusses DRAM and Advanced Packaging Innovations for AI-Driven Semiconductor Growth Prepared Remarks Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also supported by a Zacks list naming AMAT among the day’s top momentum stocks, reinforcing bullish technical momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for July 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame Applied Materials as a behind-the-scenes winner from the AI boom, which could help justify its elevated valuation if chip demand stays strong. Applied Materials Is Silently Powering the AI Boom. Here’s Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor stocks sold off as investors took profits after a strong first half, suggesting some of AMAT’s weakness may be sector-driven rather than company-specific. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Shares Are Falling Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Another report noted AMAT fell more than the overall market in the latest session, but the move was tied to chip-sector weakness rather than a new earnings miss or guidance cut. Applied Materials (AMAT) Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market: Key Insights
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two sizable stock sales, including 20,000 shares sold at $735.22, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still retains a very large position. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) CEO Sells $14,704,400.00 in Stock

Applied Materials 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.