11,115 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Bought by Meiji Yasuda America Inc

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda America Inc opened a new position in Applied Materials, buying 11,115 shares valued at about $2.86 million in the fourth quarter. The move adds to a broader pattern of institutional interest, with institutions owning 80.56% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on AMAT, with firms like Barclays, RBC, Citigroup, and Bank of America raising targets or reiterating bullish ratings. The consensus view is still Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $483.03.
• Applied Materials has benefited from strong operating results and AI-related demand: it beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, raised guidance, and is being highlighted as a key supplier for AI chip and high-bandwidth memory investment. The company also announced a $500 million Singapore expansion to support future manufacturing capacity.

Meiji Yasuda America Inc purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 11,115 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,856,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop and helping reinforce the stock’s upside momentum. Top 5 Strong Buy Stocks to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, citing continued investment in new chip supply and AI infrastructure demand. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of high-bandwidth memory and broader AI hardware spending, which supports long-term semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is One Of the Best High-Bandwidth Memory Stocks To Buy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new $500 million Singapore manufacturing expansion is being viewed as a strategic move to support AI chip demand and expand capacity for future growth. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Up 11.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $557.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $422.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $351.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $438.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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