Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Buys 2,046 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Ameritas Investment Partners increased its stake in Applied Materials by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 2,046 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 36,061 shares valued at about $9.27 million.
• Several other major institutions also boosted or initiated positions in AMAT, and institutional investors now own 80.56% of the company’s stock, underscoring strong professional interest in the semiconductor equipment maker.
• Applied Materials has drawn a bullish backdrop from analysts and recent company news, including new higher price targets, a $500 million Singapore expansion tied to AI-chip demand, and a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,061 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,046 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $685,684,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials received a new Street-high price target from a top Wall Street analyst, reinforcing the view that the stock can still move higher. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Scores a New Street-High Price Target from a Top Wall Street Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its Singapore manufacturing and R&D footprint with a $500 million Tampines Campus to support rising AI-chip demand, which highlights long-term growth opportunities in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor also raised price targets across chip-equipment peers, including Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for the group. KLA Corp., Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML in focus as Cantor ups price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, signaling strong capital returns, though the move is usually more supportive than immediately price-driving. Applied Materials Announces Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted the stock slipping in pre-market trading despite the expansion news, suggesting investors are weighing the capital spending against the long-term AI demand story. AMAT Stock Falls despite Capacity Expansion as AI Fuels Demand for Chipmaking Gears

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $497.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a PE ratio of 46.67, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.67. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $418.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $534.44.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid 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 is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $480.13.

About Applied Materials

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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