Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Reduces Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP reduced its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 75.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,266 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 43,807 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $432.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.47 and a 52 week high of $448.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $387.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $326.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $342.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $465.14.

About Applied Materials

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.