13,640 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd

OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 13,640 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,975,000. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 9.3% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $28,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $645.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $632.01.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $13.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $332.71. 9,456,460 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,369,214. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $444.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $264.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 in the last three months. Corporate 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: A rally in chip-equipment shares is lifting AMAT ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, scheduled for November 12. The sector move followed Lam Research’s announcement of a $25 billion share buyback. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Rise as Chip Equipment Rallies Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related equipment demand and growth in advanced packaging are cited as longer-term supports for Applied Materials, despite the recent pullback in chip stocks. Article: AMAT Shares Plunge 30% in a Month: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming results are a key near-term catalyst: investors will assess whether demand and equipment-spending expectations hold up in a more cautious investment environment. Article: Applied Materials Stocks Fall Before a Revenue Test
• Negative Sentiment: The rebound follows a sharp chip-stock sell-off, with investors worried that data-center spending could slow; weak Qualcomm guidance added to sector concerns. AMAT also recently faced pressure after an analyst downgrade. Article: Chip Stock Rout Deepens Article: Applied Materials Stock Falls After Analyst Downgrade

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc develops and supplies equipment, software and services used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its technologies help customers build and process materials at the microscopic scale required for chips and other electronic products.

The company’s offerings include systems for depositing, removing and modifying materials, as well as inspection, measurement and process-control tools. It also provides equipment and services for advanced semiconductor packaging and supports customers with maintenance, upgrades and manufacturing software.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers around the world.