Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $44.18 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 214.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 167,938 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 114,521 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $44,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,869,170,000 after purchasing an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $685,684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $585.78 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $599.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $431.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $465.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to help chipmakers build next-generation 3D structures more precisely, which supports the company’s role in AI chip manufacturing and could lift long-term demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Applied Materials and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing confidence that wafer fab equipment spending remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer singled out AMAT favorably on Mad Money, which may have added to the stock’s momentum as investors look for semiconductor names with upside when the sector strengthens. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted AMAT hitting 52-week highs alongside broader semiconductor strength, suggesting the stock is benefiting from renewed optimism in the chip equipment group. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that AMAT has rallied sharply and may be extended near recent highs, meaning some traders see room for caution if the stock needs to consolidate before its next move. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Seeking Alpha argued the stock is not cheap enough to buy aggressively, but also not weak enough to sell, reflecting a valuation debate rather than a clear bearish catalyst. Article Title

About Applied Materials

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.