Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 68.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 146,209 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 59,199 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $75,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point Nemo Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,628,000. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 26.5% in the third quarter. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC now owns 2,611 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.3% in the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 117,055 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $59,860,000 after purchasing an additional 2,655 shares in the last quarter. Endowment Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $1,030,000. Finally, Unify Financial Advisors increased its position in Applied Materials by 103.9% in the third quarter. Unify Financial Advisors now owns 1,270 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $649,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of AMAT opened at $332.71 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $444.84 and a 200 day moving average of $444.66. The company has a market cap of $264.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $605.00 price target (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $563.00 to $538.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.01.

Applied Materials 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.