Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 9.4%, buying an additional 119,342 shares to hold 1,393,938 shares (about 0.17% of the company) valued at roughly $285.4 million.
• Several major brokers have raised price targets recently (Barclays to $450, Wells Fargo to $435, Goldman Sachs to $390, Morgan Stanley to $432), helping produce a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $363.46.
• Applied Materials beat quarterly expectations (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21, revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B), provided Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, and has shown strong momentum (≈+33% over three months) with a market cap of about $257.7 billion.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,393,938 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 119,342 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.17% of Applied Materials worth $285,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $673,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Welch Group LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.46.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market pieces highlight a renewed semiconductor opportunity in 2026, which benefits AMAT as a leading chip-equipment supplier; this underpins investor confidence in the company's medium‑to‑long‑term demand. Semiconductor Opportunity Is Here
• Positive Sentiment: A recent feature argues AMAT is balancing near-term sector turbulence while maintaining a long‑term chip demand story — reinforcing buy‑and‑hold narratives for chip-capex exposure. Applied Materials Balances Sector Turbulence With Long Term Chip Demand Story
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary notes AMAT broke above its 20‑day moving average, signaling short‑term bullish momentum that can attract momentum traders. Applied Materials (AMAT) Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average
• Positive Sentiment: Context pieces point out AMAT has gained strongly over recent months (≈+33% over three months), showing momentum that can support share prices when markets stabilize. AMAT Climbs 33.4% in 3 Months: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group initiated coverage with a "hold" rating — neither bullish nor bearish but may limit upside from fresh upbeat upgrades. Tickerreport: Erste Group Starts Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short‑interest data reported as zeros/NaN appear erroneous; no clear signal from short sellers right now (data should be treated cautiously).
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressure: Nasdaq weakness and falling futures are dragging high‑beta tech and semicap names lower, pressuring AMAT despite company strengths. Live Nasdaq Composite: Markets Buckle Under Pressure With No Relief in Sight
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk and rising oil amid Middle East conflict are lifting energy prices and weighing on risk assets ahead of a key jobs report — a near‑term headwind for AMAT. Stock Futures Fall, Oil Jumps as Middle East War Continues; Key Jobs Report on Deck

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $324.74 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $395.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $326.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $256.82. The company has a market cap of $257.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.65.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value 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. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company 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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