Sanders Capital LLC Takes $1.41 Billion Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,698,260 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,409,320,000. Applied Materials makes up about 1.9% of Sanders Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned 0.96% of Applied Materials as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $226.01 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $212.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $180.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.84. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $242.50.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Bank of America upgraded Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $185.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.74.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.