240,905 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Bought by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 240,905 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $123,346,000. Applied Materials makes up approximately 0.3% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 19.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 16.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,576,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,252,863,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price objective (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Applied Materials from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $381.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $453.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.38.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials recently reported 41% growth in adjusted earnings per share and 52% growth in DRAM revenue, alongside higher revenue guidance. Ongoing investment in capacity and hybrid bonding technology could support future growth. Article: Did Earnings Growth Just Shift Applied Materials Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $538 from $563 and maintained an Equal Weight/Hold rating. The target remains well above the price cited in the coverage, but the downgrade reflects execution risks and tempered analyst conviction. Article: Applied Materials: Promising Demand Offset by Execution Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: The November 12 earnings report is a near-term focal point: results and guidance could either reassure investors after the selloff or reinforce concerns. Article: Applied Materials Just Dropped 29% In a Month
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has lost nearly 29% over the past month as semiconductor-equipment shares faced broad selling. Coverage tied a recent chip-sector rout to Intel’s outlook, suggesting industry concerns—not just company-specific news—have weighed on the stock. Article: Applied Materials Sinks in Intel’s Chip Rout

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.