Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by S Bank Fund Management Ltd

S Bank Fund Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.1% of S Bank Fund Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. S Bank Fund Management Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $846,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,765,950 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $475,039,000 after purchasing an additional 70,804 shares in the last quarter. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $867,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 107,985 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 114.6% in the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 500 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $370.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 5.0%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $410.82 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $369.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $326.03 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $151.51 and a 52 week high of $420.50.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $454 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling more upside from current levels and likely supporting buying interest. Morgan Stanley raises AMAT price target to $454 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials agreed to acquire NEXX (from ASMPT) to broaden its panel‑level advanced packaging tech — strengthens AMAT’s exposure to AI accelerator packaging, a high‑growth end market. Applied Materials Broadens Advanced Packaging Portfolio with Acquisition of NEXX (GlobeNewswire)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and news pieces highlight AMAT’s strong history of earnings surprises and argue the company has the key ingredients to beat again — this raises the probability of another upside EPS surprise and helps near‑term sentiment. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector momentum: chip stocks rallied sharply in April, which benefits large equipment suppliers like AMAT via sentiment and multiple expansion — positive tailwind but indirect. Chip Stocks Soared 70%+ in April. Have They Gone Too Far? (247wallst)
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer earnings beats (Advanced Energy, Lattice Semiconductor) show AI/data‑center demand lifting equipment and component suppliers — supportive context but not company‑specific. Advanced Energy Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Another peer, Lattice, beat Q1 estimates; such results can validate demand trends AMAT operates in but don’t directly change AMAT fundamentals. Lattice Semiconductor Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: An ACM Research article in your feed is company‑specific to ACMR (not AMAT) and discusses revenue growth vs. margin pressure — peripheral to AMAT but part of the broader equipment ecosystem newsflow. ACM Research to Report Q1 Earnings: What’s in Store for the Stock? (Yahoo)

Applied Materials 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.