Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Position Decreased by Maj Invest Holding A S

Key Points

• Maj Invest Holding A S cut its Applied Materials position by 57.8% in the second quarter, selling 241,845 shares and retaining 176,751 shares worth approximately $127.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $603.23, although some downgrades and short positions reflect concerns that AI optimism is already priced into the stock.
• Applied Materials recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, while AI-related semiconductor demand supports its outlook. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 0.4% annualized yield.

Maj Invest Holding A S decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 57.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 176,751 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 241,845 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises approximately 5.8% of Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $127,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $603.23.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly optimistic about AMAT, with consensus price targets implying additional upside. Citi reportedly identified Applied Materials as a top semiconductor pick following the sector’s selloff, while other coverage highlights the company’s strong position in deposition, etch, inspection and wafer-processing equipment. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Applied Materials Stock Will Climb or Sink?
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure spending is supporting the outlook for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A potential Tesla-SpaceX “Terafab” buildout, along with rising demand for AI chips, advanced packaging and memory, could create additional opportunities for Applied Materials. Tesla-SpaceX Terafab Bet
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for the August 13 report are favorable: analysts anticipate earnings growth and a potential beat. Applied Materials’ previous quarter exceeded consensus on both earnings and revenue, with revenue up 11.4% year over year, providing a constructive comparison for the upcoming release. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are pricing a potentially large earnings move, reportedly around 11%. That highlights significant event risk: a strong report and outlook could extend the rally, but merely meeting high expectations may not be enough. Options Market and AMAT’s Earnings Move
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its rating on AMAT to Hold. The downgrade adds pressure after the stock’s strong rebound and reinforces concerns that substantial AI optimism is already reflected in the valuation. Applied Materials Rating Lowered to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Investor Michael Burry’s disclosed short positions in AI-linked semiconductor names, including Applied Materials, have revived concerns about an AI-stock reversal and heightened volatility. As Burry Targets AI Chip Names

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $539.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $559.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $437.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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