99,000 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Bought by Mizuho Markets Americas LLC

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Americas LLC opened a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter, buying 99,000 shares valued at about $25.4 million.
• Several analysts turned more bullish on AMAT, with multiple firms raising price targets to $520-$550 and the stock carrying a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected Q2 results, including EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, and it also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.46 to $0.53 per share.

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 99,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $25,442,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Summit Insights upgraded Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $465.14.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $432.16 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $387.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $326.06. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $448.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $342.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.58, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

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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