Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Lessened by William Allan Corp

William Allan Corp lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,637 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,529 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up about 6.9% of William Allan Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. William Allan Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Meiji Yasuda America Inc purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. Nuveen LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 7,674,424 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,972,250,000 after buying an additional 672,992 shares during the last quarter. Xponance LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 145,169 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,307,000 after buying an additional 7,265 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 458,395 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $117,803,000 after buying an additional 86,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canopy Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 2,756 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $557.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $422.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.11. The stock has a market cap of $438.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.89, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 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. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials, now expecting $12.20 EPS for FY2026 and $16.29 EPS for FY2027, well above the current consensus of $12.02 for this year. The firm kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum remains strong. Applied Materials earnings estimate upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating, and several other firms recently lifted price targets, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in Applied Materials’ role in the AI-driven chip equipment cycle. Barclays bullish on Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Applied Materials as a top HBM/AI infrastructure stock, while its Singapore expansion and broader semiconductor capex outlook support the case for longer-term revenue growth. Applied Materials AI and HBM demand article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader markets were strong on Thursday, which may also have helped sentiment toward cyclical semiconductor names like AMAT. Market rally article
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note mentioned that investors were weighing the company’s $500 million Singapore expansion, which could pressure near-term margins or cash flow even as it supports future demand. Singapore expansion cost article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AMAT. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $483.03.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Company 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.