735,281 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Bought by Employees Provident Fund Board

Key Points

• Employees Provident Fund Board disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Applied Materials, buying 735,281 shares worth about $188.96 million. The stake represented roughly 1.4% of its portfolio and made AMAT its 29th largest holding.
• Wall Street remains bullish on the stock, with several firms recently raising price targets, including UBS to $570 and Bank of America to $540. Overall, analysts rate Applied Materials a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $489.16.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $2.86 versus estimates of $2.68 and revenue of $7.91 billion, up 11.4% year over year. However, insiders have also been selling shares recently, and the stock is trading at a lofty valuation after a sharp rally.

Employees Provident Fund Board bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 735,281 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $188,960,000. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.4% of Employees Provident Fund Board's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Employees Provident Fund Board owned about 0.09% of Applied Materials as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $489.16.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $617.11 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. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $638.90. The company's 50-day moving average price is $451.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $364.90. The stock has a market cap of $489.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.94, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials'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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AGS services business is being highlighted as a long-term growth engine, with AI-enabled services and expanding margins potentially creating more recurring revenue. Can AMAT's AGS Business Become a Long-Term Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Shares are benefiting from renewed enthusiasm around AI demand and strong earnings momentum, with articles noting the stock has been hitting new highs after solid results and upbeat guidance. AI Demand, Earnings Send Applied Materials to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ with Qualcomm and EssilorLuxottica for AI eyewear, reinforcing investor hopes that the company can expand beyond core chipmaking tools into adjacent growth markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with higher price targets such as Citi’s $710 view helping fuel the rally by suggesting AI demand can justify the premium valuation. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Rallies 8.75% on Citi’s Bullish $710 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson and SVP Omkaram Nalamasu, sold shares this week; while the sales were small relative to their remaining holdings, they can weigh on sentiment. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary warns the stock looks expensive after a sharp year-to-date surge, with valuation comparisons to the dot-com era potentially prompting caution despite the strong fundamental backdrop. Applied Materials stock valuation and performance

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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