SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda Invests $904,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,250 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $904,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $514.33 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $565.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $448.45. The company has a market capitalization of $408.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has gained significant investor attention as a key beneficiary of AI-related semiconductor and memory-fabrication investment. Its broad equipment portfolio and exposure to strong chip demand support the longer-term growth outlook. Applied Materials Rockets 98% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive, citing AI-driven growth, semiconductor demand and Applied Materials’ diversified product portfolio as reasons to hold the stock despite its premium valuation. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock
• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley and Needham reiterated Buy ratings, while separate analyst reports raised price targets to $600 and $660, reinforcing bullish expectations for continued earnings and industry growth. Applied Materials Buy Rating Reiterated
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials has substantially outperformed Lam Research and KLA in the 2026 AI-capex rally. The comparison suggests the shares have greater momentum but may also face higher expectations if chip-equipment spending slows. AMAT Compared With Lam Research and KLA
• Negative Sentiment: Recent doubts about the durability of AI spending triggered a broad pullback in chip-equipment stocks. Applied Materials’ roughly 98% year-to-date advance leaves the stock particularly exposed to de-risking and profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argues that AMAT is “priced for perfection,” while another notes that beating Wall Street estimates may not be sufficient to support further gains when valuation and forward expectations are already demanding. Applied Materials Is Priced for Perfection

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $643.50.

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.