Flossbach Von Storch SE Sells 53,256 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Flossbach Von Storch SE lowered its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,408,464 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 53,256 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises approximately 1.9% of Flossbach Von Storch SE’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Flossbach Von Storch SE owned 0.30% of Applied Materials worth $493,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Susquehanna raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after forecasting a “significant acceleration” in wafer fab equipment (WFE) upgrades, a direct demand driver for Applied Materials’ tools and services. This upgrade supports a more bullish revenue outlook for 2026. AMAT stock: Mizuho sees ‘significant acceleration’ in WFE, upgrades rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and media pieces are positioning AMAT as a top pick for 2026, arguing the stock still has upside as secular demand for semiconductor capacity drives multi-year spending. This boosts investor confidence in the growth story. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a shortage it can’t meet—an indication of strong demand vs. constrained supply that tends to support pricing power and order books. Media amplification of that view can lift sentiment. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: AMAT recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and provided upbeat Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance (1.98–2.38), supporting the case that earnings momentum underpins the rally. (Company reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for late January appears inconsistent (records showing zeros and NaN changes); current public figures don’t give a clear signal on bearish positioning or squeeze risk. Analysts and traders should treat the short-interest prints cautiously.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail and search interest noted by Zacks — attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental by itself. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $344.04. The company has a market cap of $267.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $276.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.36.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

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.