Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Position Trimmed by Generali Investments Management Co LLC

Key Points

• Generali Investments Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 44.6% in the second quarter, selling 2,592 shares and retaining 3,223 shares worth approximately $2.33 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.86 in EPS and $7.91 billion in revenue, while guiding for third-quarter EPS of $3.16–$3.56. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.
• Despite a share-price decline to $522.12 and elevated valuation, analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $603.23. Insiders have recently sold substantial holdings, including CEO Gary Dickerson’s $42.6 million stock sale.

Generali Investments Management Co LLC decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 44.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,223 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,592 shares during the quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Evolve Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 183.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 376,513 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $96,760,000 after buying an additional 32,136 shares during the period. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 204.8% during the fourth quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $36,177,000 after buying an additional 94,587 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $522.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $560.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $439.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $414.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.03, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. 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 report on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $603.23.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised longer-term earnings expectations. An analyst increased the FY2027 EPS forecast, suggesting continued confidence in Applied Materials’ semiconductor-equipment demand and earnings trajectory. FY2027 EPS Forecast for Applied Materials Lifted by Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: AI and data-center investment remain major growth drivers. Applied Materials supplies equipment used to manufacture advanced chips, and potential semiconductor demand from Tesla and SpaceX’s proposed $16.8 billion “Terafab” project could benefit AMAT and other chip-equipment suppliers. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights SpaceX, Tesla, KLA Corp, Onto Innovation, Applied Materials and Lam Research
• Positive Sentiment: The investment case includes solid fundamentals and shareholder returns. Coverage highlights AMAT’s AI exposure, broad technology portfolio, strong profitability and dividend history. Its latest reported quarter also exceeded consensus estimates for revenue and EPS, while management provided third-quarter EPS guidance of $3.16 to $3.56. Applied Materials’ dividends: History, yield and payout ratio explained
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings are the immediate catalyst. Analysts expect approximately $3.39 in Q3 EPS on roughly $9 billion of revenue, while previews emphasize key operating metrics beyond headline results. The stock’s implied earnings move is potentially sizable, increasing short-term volatility. Applied Materials Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: High expectations and valuation leave little room for disappointment. AMAT has rallied significantly over the past year but remains well below its yearly peak. With a reported P/E ratio near 49, investors may be taking profits or reducing exposure ahead of earnings unless the outlook clearly supports current expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor-sector volatility is another headwind. Weakness in major equipment stocks, including ASML, following China-related headlines may be weighing on sentiment toward the entire chip-equipment group, even though the recent AMAT coverage is predominantly bullish.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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