Analog Century Management LP Increases Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Analog Century Management LP boosted its Applied Materials stake by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 89,364 shares to bring its total to 404,442 shares worth about $103.9 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with several firms raising price targets and 27 analysts rating the stock a Buy versus eight Holds; the consensus target is $483.03 and the stock has a Moderate Buy rating.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the latest quarter, and it recently set Q3 2026 guidance above prior expectations while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Analog Century Management LP lifted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 404,442 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 89,364 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 5.1% of Analog Century Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Analog Century Management LP owned approximately 0.05% of Applied Materials worth $103,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. 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 report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $569.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $427.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 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 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

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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