69,684 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Norris Perne & French LLP MI

Key Points

• Norris Perne & French LLP MI more than doubled its Applied Materials stake in the third quarter, purchasing 69,684 additional shares for a total of 126,380 shares valued at approximately $64.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.50 in EPS and $9.12 billion in revenue, with revenue up 24.8% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $632.70.
• AI-driven semiconductor spending remains a growth catalyst, but weaker-than-expected industry outlook commentary and comparisons favoring Lam Research have pressured the stock. The company also announced a $0.53 quarterly dividend, while insiders have sold shares in recent months.

Norris Perne & French LLP MI increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 122.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 126,380 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 69,684 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 2.9% of Norris Perne & French LLP MI's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Norris Perne & French LLP MI's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $64,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,005,000. Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,589,000. CX Institutional lifted its position in Applied Materials by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 19,886 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,008,591 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $729,211,000 after acquiring an additional 28,982 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,521,000 after acquiring an additional 105,776 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic investment expands AI and materials exposure. Applied Ventures, Applied Materials’ venture-capital arm, invested in Albert Invent, an AI platform for chemical and materials research. The deal could strengthen Applied’s exposure to software-enabled materials discovery and support longer-term innovation. Albert Invent Welcomes Applied Ventures as Investor
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate revision was modestly favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $18.67 from $18.59, although it maintained a “Hold” rating. The increase suggests some confidence in Applied Materials’ longer-term earnings outlook. Erste Group estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related semiconductor investment remains a growth catalyst. Advanced logic, DRAM and advanced-packaging spending is supporting the company’s Semiconductor Systems business, with potential benefits to revenue growth and margins. Can Semiconductor Systems Drive AMAT’s Next Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF demand provided a technical-support signal. Reports indicated approximately $102.1 million of net ETF buying in Applied Materials, suggesting continued institutional interest, though ETF flows do not necessarily change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees $102.1 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for November 12. The upcoming earnings report will be an important catalyst for assessing demand, margins and management’s outlook. Applied Materials to Report Fourth-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Lam Research’s outlook pressured the entire equipment group. Lam’s comments that its outlook would be only “a bit higher,” alongside supply constraints, triggered concerns that growth may not accelerate as quickly as expected. Applied Materials and other chip-equipment stocks declined in sympathy. Applied Materials Sinks on Lam’s Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Relative analysis favors Lam Research. Analysts cited stronger memory growth and customer-support momentum at Lam, giving it an edge over Applied Materials in the wafer-fabrication-equipment market and potentially limiting AMAT’s near-term appeal. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which Stock Has an Edge?

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $377.24 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $467.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $486.93. The company has a market capitalization of $299.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.52, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $465,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $632.70.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company's offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.

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