Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

Key Points

• OMERS Administration Corp increased its Applied Materials stake by 7.5% in the first quarter, adding 5,005 shares and bringing its total to 71,997 shares worth about $24.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains largely positive: several analysts raised price targets, and Applied Materials now has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $593.84.
• The company reported better-than-expected Q2 results, with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable on September 10.

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 71,997 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,005 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $24,608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. One Day In July LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.3% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the first quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. B. Riley Financial lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $593.84.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is still viewed favorably versus a peer in advanced packaging, with commentary highlighting its AI-related packaging exposure, broad chipmaking portfolio, and high-margin services as reasons it may be a safer long-term bet. AMAT vs. Q: Which Advanced Packaging Stock is a Safer Bet Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to point to AI-led semiconductor demand, with Applied Materials repeatedly cited as one of the stocks benefiting from ongoing chip investment and stronger equipment spending. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on August 13, and recent previews suggest analysts expect another double-digit earnings increase, which can support sentiment ahead of the print. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s short-interest update appears to be data-noisy, showing zero shares outstanding and no meaningful days-to-cover signal, so it is unlikely to be a real trading driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials remains part of a broader semiconductor sector that is experiencing profit-taking and valuation-driven consolidation after a powerful AI rally, which is weighing on sentiment across the group. Semiconductor Crossroads: Healthy Consolidation or Deeper Repricing?
• Negative Sentiment: The pullback in semiconductor names suggests investors are locking in gains and reassessing high expectations, which is pressuring AMAT along with the rest of the sector despite solid fundamentals.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $536.25 on Friday. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $544.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $423.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $425.76 billion, a PE ratio of 50.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 company earned $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue 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 research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. 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 presently 19.91%.

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.

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.