Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 17% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 19,300 shares worth about $4.96 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with revenue of $7.91 billion and EPS of $2.86 both beating estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year.
• Analysts remained upbeat, with multiple firms raising price targets and the company also increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 17.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,300 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 2.4% of Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported Q1 revenue of $7.91 billion, topping expectations, while non-GAAP EPS of $2.86 also beat estimates. Management’s next-quarter revenue guidance was stronger than analysts expected, pointing to continued AI-driven demand for semiconductor equipment and services. AMAT Q1 Deep Dive: AI Demand Drives Growth in Semiconductor Equipment and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on Applied Materials to $500 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside from the AI infrastructure buildout and the company’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment leadership.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted rising earnings estimates and historic gross margin strength, suggesting investors are optimistic that profit growth can continue as premium products and services benefit from strong chip demand. Surging Earnings Estimates Signal Upside for Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials is drawing heavy investor attention and positive discussion around its international revenue trends, but these pieces appear more informational than immediate stock-moving catalysts. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly downgraded Applied Materials while upgrading Lam Research, which could temper enthusiasm despite the company’s strong fundamentals and may be contributing to pressure on the shares. Lam Research gets an upgrade, Applied Materials cut at Morgan Stanley

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $406.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $322.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.21, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.66. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.47 and a 1-year high of $448.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $382.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $322.58.

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 firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials'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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.75 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 17.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $465.14.

About Applied Materials

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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