239,069 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd

Key Points

• Life Cycle Investment Partners opened a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter, buying 239,069 shares worth about $61.4 million.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, while also issuing Q3 2026 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 EPS.
• Sentiment around the stock remains upbeat: several analysts raised price targets, and the company also announced a higher quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, up from $0.46.

Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 239,069 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $61,438,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after purchasing an additional 12,132 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $465.14.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $432.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $387.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $326.06. The firm has a market cap of $342.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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 fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ new collaboration with Broadcom boosts its AI packaging story and highlights its importance in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains constructive, with traders noting strong semiconductor sector momentum, improving technicals, and continued AI infrastructure demand supporting AMAT. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Opinions on Semiconductor Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street still appears bullish on AMAT, with multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and price targets clustered well above current levels, reinforcing the stock’s longer-term upside case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage continues to frame Applied Materials as a key beneficiary of AI and advanced packaging trends, but some of the related articles are commentary rather than new company-specific developments. Applied Materials (AMAT): “The Arms Dealer of the Semiconductor Revolution”
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also highlighted the stock’s strong multi-year performance and its role among semiconductor equipment peers, which may support investor attention but do not add a major new catalyst. Here's How Much You'd Have If You Invested $1000 in Applied Materials a Decade Ago
• Negative Sentiment: One potential overhang is continued insider selling over the past six months, which can sometimes weigh on sentiment even when fundamentals remain strong.

Applied Materials 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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