Macquarie Group Ltd. Sells 469,704 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Macquarie Group Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 63.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 266,455 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 469,704 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $68,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $427.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $352.62. 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 $569.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

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.