Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 13.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 567,604 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,366 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $194,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,947,891,000 after purchasing an additional 373,012 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 17.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $553.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $439.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.57. 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 fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $539.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $420.23.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 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. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm 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 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 presently 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials benefited from renewed optimism around chipmaking capacity and AI demand after Taiwan Semiconductor raised chipmaking prices and another supplier lifted guidance, reinforcing expectations for continued equipment spending across the sector. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ installed base services business is generating recurring revenue growth, with Applied Global Services revenue rising year over year, which supports margins and provides more predictable cash flow. Is AMAT’s Installed Base Business Built for Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary suggests AMAT may be ripe for a rebound after a short losing streak, indicating some traders see the recent pullback as temporary rather than a change in fundamentals. History Says Applied Materials Stock Looks Ripe for Rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Some broader market commentary flagged AMAT as a stock to watch, but the article mainly focused on general index leadership and did not point to a new company-specific catalyst. 2 S&P 500 Stocks to Keep an Eye On and 1 We Avoid
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT has also seen near-term weakness after a strong run, with recent sessions showing multiple losses as investors may be locking in gains. History Says Applied Materials Stock Looks Ripe for Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: One recent market recap noted that Applied Materials traded lower versus the broader market, reflecting the stock’s short-term volatility rather than a fundamental deterioration. Applied Materials (AMAT) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AMAT. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. HSBC assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $593.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.