Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Position Raised by Capelight Capital Asset Management LP

Key Points

• Capelight Capital Asset Management LP doubled its stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter, buying 10,000 additional shares to bring its total to 20,000 shares worth about $6.84 million. The stock now makes up roughly 4.8% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on AMAT, with 27 analysts rating it a Buy and eight a Hold, and a consensus target price of $553.56. Several firms recently raised price targets, including Susquehanna and Citigroup.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected results for its latest quarter, beating EPS and revenue estimates and issuing Q3 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 per share. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 10.

Capelight Capital Asset Management LP increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 100.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises approximately 4.8% of Capelight Capital Asset Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Capelight Capital Asset Management LP's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after buying an additional 3,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Applied Materials by 59.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after buying an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $553.56.

Applied Materials Stock Down 7.4%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $603.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $478.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.62, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The company's fifty day moving average price is $495.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $389.39. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending, with coverage emphasizing its role in DRAM and advanced packaging innovations that support next-generation semiconductor growth. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Discusses DRAM and Advanced Packaging Innovations for AI-Driven Semiconductor Growth Prepared Remarks Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also supported by a Zacks list naming AMAT among the day’s top momentum stocks, reinforcing bullish technical momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for July 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame Applied Materials as a behind-the-scenes winner from the AI boom, which could help justify its elevated valuation if chip demand stays strong. Applied Materials Is Silently Powering the AI Boom. Here's Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader semiconductor stocks sold off as investors took profits after a strong first half, suggesting some of AMAT’s weakness may be sector-driven rather than company-specific. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Shares Are Falling Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Another report noted AMAT fell more than the overall market in the latest session, but the move was tied to chip-sector weakness rather than a new earnings miss or guidance cut. Applied Materials (AMAT) Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market: Key Insights
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson disclosed two sizable stock sales, including 20,000 shares sold at $735.22, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though he still retains a very large position. Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT CEO Sells $14,704,400.00 in 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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