Czech National Bank Purchases 9,726 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,892 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,726 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 0.9% of Czech National Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $163,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 183.7% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 376,513 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $96,760,000 after purchasing an additional 32,136 shares during the period. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 204.8% in the fourth quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $36,177,000 after purchasing an additional 94,587 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 sale, the insider directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $570.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.23.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain major tailwinds. Citi analysts identified Applied Materials as a top pick following a semiconductor selloff, arguing that the AI upcycle is still in its early stages. AMAT supplies deposition, etch, inspection and packaging equipment needed to manufacture advanced AI chips. Citi Analysts See Golden Opportunity in Semiconductor Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are positioned for earnings growth. Wall Street expects year-over-year earnings improvement when Applied Materials reports on Aug. 13. Analysts and financial commentators point to growing demand for memory, logic and advanced packaging equipment, while the consensus price target cited in recent coverage implies meaningful upside. The company’s latest reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue estimates. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is broadly favorable but not unanimous. Several reports describe AMAT as a Buy and highlight potential upside, but Erste Group Bank AG downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold. The mixed recommendations may limit enthusiasm after the stock’s recent rebound.
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry’s disclosed short position is pressuring AI-related stocks. Burry has reportedly bet against Applied Materials and other AI-linked semiconductor names while warning of a potential 1987-style market reversal. His comments have increased concern that elevated AI valuations and semiconductor momentum could unwind. Applied Materials Faces Fresh Scrutiny After Michael Burry Short Bet
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings create near-term event risk. AMAT has rallied sharply from its late-July low, raising the bar for the upcoming report. Even an earnings beat could trigger profit-taking if guidance or AI-related demand fails to exceed elevated expectations.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $527.48 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $557.69 and its 200 day moving average is $437.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $418.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

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.