Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 65,300 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $22,319,000. Applied Materials comprises about 3.1% of Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $595.70 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $525.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $407.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $472.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.93, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials gained attention after reports of a 10-year AI packaging partnership with TSMC, reinforcing its role in the AI supply chain. Applied Materials (AMAT) Lands 10 Year TSMC AI Packaging Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain upbeat on AMAT’s AI demand outlook, with Bernstein rating the stock a Buy and Stifel-style bullish commentary saying the company should benefit from a long AI investment cycle. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was included in lists of AI beneficiaries poised to produce strong cash flow and capitalize on heavy semiconductor infrastructure spending. The AI Boom Isn’t Over: 3 Stocks to Buy for 2H 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Market headlines also noted Morgan Stanley kept an Equal Weight rating on AMAT, which is supportive but not a strong bullish signal. Morgan Stanley Maintains an “Equal Weight” Rating on Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier trading saw AMAT fall with the broader chip sector after weakness in Asian semiconductor names and an oil-price spike pressured tech stocks. Intel, AMD, and Applied Materials Drop 4% as SK Hynix Rout and Oil Spike Hit Chip Stocks

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.