Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 227,263 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,166,675 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 227,263 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $300,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,082,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 25,599.0% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 719,572 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $184,923,000 after buying an additional 716,772 shares during the last quarter. Atom Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 394.8% in the 4th quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 6,937 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after buying an additional 5,535 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 30,726 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,896,000 after buying an additional 3,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,563 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $451.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $436.36 and its 200-day moving average is $358.14. 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 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $600.91.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.