New Paradigm Capital Management LLC Acquires New Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

New Paradigm Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,400 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,458,000. Applied Materials makes up approximately 5.3% of New Paradigm Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Research Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 37.2% in the 2nd quarter. Investment Research Partners LLC now owns 848 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $613,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Invested Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $385,000. 71 West Capital Partners boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 39.3% in the second quarter. 71 West Capital Partners now owns 6,141 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,733 shares during the period. Investment Partners LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $426,000. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.3% in the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $507.18 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $564.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $445.77. The company has a market cap of $402.68 billion, a PE ratio of 43.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly performance: Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion, ahead of the $8.99 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $3.50 exceeded expectations. AI infrastructure demand, advanced packaging and memory spending supported growth. Applied Materials Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Above-consensus outlook: Management projected fiscal Q4 revenue of approximately $9.8 billion to $10.8 billion and EPS of $3.82 to $4.22, both above analyst expectations. The company also pointed to stronger systems growth and unusually long customer visibility into fiscal 2027 and beyond. Applied Materials Forecasts Quarterly Revenue Above Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: JPMorgan, RBC, TD Cowen, B. Riley, Needham and other firms maintained positive ratings or raised price targets. Soros Capital also reportedly added AMAT among several semiconductor positions, reinforcing the longer-term AI and chip-cycle investment case. Soros Capital Loads Up on Semiconductor Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Options imply a possible rebound: Derivatives-market data indicates traders expect the pullback could be temporary, although elevated volatility reflects uncertainty over the stock’s near-term direction. Applied Materials Options Data
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations were exceptionally high: Despite the earnings beat and upbeat guidance, investors wanted faster growth and clearer evidence that AMAT is outpacing rivals in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Concerns about competition, margins and the pace of systems growth overshadowed the headline results. Applied Materials Slips as Investors Seek Faster Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure added to selling: Weaker July retail-sales data, profit-taking after record highs and a semiconductor-sector selloff weighed on AMAT and other AI-related stocks.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $683.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, July 27th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $640.17.

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.