Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Holdings Decreased by Cullen Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Cullen Capital Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,083 shares and ending with 20,110 shares valued at about $5.17 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both beating estimates. Revenue rose 11.4% year over year, and the company issued Q3 2026 EPS guidance of $3.16 to $3.56.
• The company continues to draw bullish analyst and investor sentiment, with multiple firms raising price targets and recent headlines highlighting Applied Materials as an AI and chip-equipment momentum stock. Insiders have also been selling shares, including CFO Brice Hill and insider Prabu G. Raja.

Cullen Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,110 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,083 shares during the quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Korea Investment CORP raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 683,745 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $175,716,000 after purchasing an additional 45,138 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119,777.5% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 266,128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $68,392,000 after purchasing an additional 265,906 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 5,761 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $427.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $352.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a PE ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $569.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.03.

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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