Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich

Key Points

• Munich Reinsurance sharply increased its stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter, lifting its holdings by 1,361% to 133,857 shares worth about $45.8 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat, with several analysts raising price targets; the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $573.19.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable on September 10.

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 1,361.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 133,857 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 124,695 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $45,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the first quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradition Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $573.19.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $570.50 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $452.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year 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. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $509.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $398.54.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm 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 business earned $2.39 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop around the stock. Susquehanna Raises Price Target on Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Applied Materials’ advanced packaging opportunity, noting management’s goal of more than 50% packaging revenue growth in 2026 as AI demand drives HBM, 3D chiplet stacking, and next-generation packaging demand. Can AMAT's Advanced Packaging Drive Its Next Growth Phase?
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials unveiled SENZ to speed development of AI smart glasses, reinforcing the company’s exposure to emerging AI hardware markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Unveils SENZ To Speed AI Smart Glasses Development
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was also named among Zacks’ top momentum stocks, suggesting technical strength and continued investor interest. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for July 7th
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as a high-quality but volatile stock, with recent selling tied to a broader semiconductor and memory-stock downturn rather than company-specific weakness. Every Memory Stock Is Now in a Bear Market: Is Micron, SanDisk, or Applied Materials the Best Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was caught in an industry-wide chip selloff after weaker sentiment across memory names and a broader tech pullback, which pressured the stock earlier in the week. What Is Going on With Applied Materials Stock on Tuesday?

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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