Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Manning & Napier Advisors dramatically increased its Applied Materials stake in the fourth quarter, buying 369,812 additional shares and bringing its holding to 369,963 shares worth about $96.2 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected fiscal Q1 results, with EPS of $2.38 versus $2.21 expected and revenue of $7.01 billion versus $6.88 billion forecast. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS to $2.44-$2.84.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, while analysts remained broadly bullish, with multiple firms lifting price targets and consensus sentiment at “Moderate Buy.”

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 244,908.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 369,963 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 369,812 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 1.2% of Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $96,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after buying an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 225.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after acquiring an additional 10,305,182 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,247,838,000 after buying an additional 3,280,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,552,132 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,160,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,911 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the sale, the director owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $435.18 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $371.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.19. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $438.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AMAT. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Applied Materials from $432.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $375.90.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here's Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.