Entropy Technologies LP Takes $426,000 Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,246 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $426,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after buying an additional 373,012 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,746,769,000 after acquiring an additional 1,558,749 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $501.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $398.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $549.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $429.43.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company 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 of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 19.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $599.19.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Chip stocks led a technology-sector rally, improving sentiment toward Applied Materials and other semiconductor-equipment makers. The move reflects renewed investor appetite for AI-related hardware and infrastructure exposure. Chip Stocks Boost Tech-Led Rebound Rally at Software’s Expense
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ participation in the AI Materials Foundry could strengthen long-term demand expectations for its wafer-fabrication equipment. The company’s recent earnings beat, including higher-than-expected revenue and earnings, provides additional fundamental support. Applied Materials Stock May Not Be a Bargain Despite AI Materials Foundry News
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy online searches for AMAT indicate elevated investor attention, but the article offers no new fundamental development or change to the company’s outlook. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Despite its pullback, AMAT may not be a clear bargain after a multiyear gain, potentially limiting upside unless AI-driven demand accelerates enough to justify its valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor shares have faced concerns about stronger Chinese competition and whether AI-related demand can remain sustainable. Weakness and growth concerns at peer KLA add to caution around semiconductor-equipment stocks. Semiconductor Stocks Trade Down

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.