1,469 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 923.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,628 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,469 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $430.01 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $341.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $483.12 and a 200 day moving average of $485.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Evercore set a $590.00 target price on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $637.14.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled its approximately $5 billion EPIC Center in Sunnyvale, California, described as the world’s largest semiconductor equipment and process-technology research facility. The center, supported by companies including Intel, Micron, SK hynix, and Samsung, is intended to accelerate chip development and strengthen AMAT’s long-term position in advanced manufacturing. Applied Materials opens $5B semiconductor innovation center
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an Outperform rating and set a $600 price target. Other coverage highlights AMAT’s fifth consecutive earnings beat, improving earnings estimates, and what analysts view as attractive upside after the stock’s recent decline. Applied Materials could nearly double within 12 months
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT is being cited as a growth-at-a-reasonable-price semiconductor stock, supported by its broad wafer-fabrication equipment portfolio and expected benefits from expanding chip and AI infrastructure capacity. ASML vs. Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: some firms remain bullish, while others are conflicted on the technology sector and AMAT specifically. A report also noted that 31 ETFs added AMAT shares, indicating continued institutional interest but not necessarily a near-term catalyst. Analysts conflicted on technology names
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT’s decline followed a six-session losing streak and weakness across chip stocks. Investor Day disclosures, including the company’s optical-inspection expansion and long-term targets, have not yet overcome investor concerns about near-term execution, elevated valuation, and semiconductor-sector volatility. Applied Materials drops during Investor Day

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 Applied Materials 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company’s offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.