Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock: Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Holdings

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,311,913 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,215 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up approximately 0.6% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $671,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Latest Applied Materials News

Here’s some of the latest news about AMAT:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue rose 53% year over year to a record $10.41 billion, beating the $10.30 billion estimate. Non-GAAP EPS of $4.16 also topped the $4.06 consensus and increased 92% from a year earlier. Applied Materials Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 fiscal 2027 guidance came in ahead of expectations: revenue of $10.6 billion–$11.6 billion versus the $10.7 billion consensus, and EPS of $4.15–$4.55 compared with an expected $4.20. The outlook reflects management’s confidence that AI-chip demand will continue to drive equipment spending. Applied Materials forecasts quarterly revenue above estimates on strong AI chip demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the earnings and guidance beats, reports described a mixed or lukewarm share-price response. That suggests investors may be weighing the strong company-specific results against broader weakness in chip stocks and Nvidia-related concerns. Applied Materials’ Beat Gets a Lukewarm Reception as Nvidia Fallout Lingers

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $380.95 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market capitalization of $302.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $439.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $445.83.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $10.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.30 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 4.150-4.550 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AMAT. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 target price (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Erste Group Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $625.76.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc. develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products. The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.