Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by ABN Amro Investment Solutions

Key Points

• ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its Applied Materials stake by 3.7% in Q4, bringing its holdings to 328,886 shares valued at about $84.5 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates on both earnings and revenue, and raised its Q3 2026 guidance. The company also highlighted robust AI-related demand and better margins.
• Analyst sentiment remains largely positive, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy, though there was some offset from recent insider selling and a Morgan Stanley downgrade.

ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 328,886 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 11,638 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 1.3% of ABN Amro Investment Solutions' investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. ABN Amro Investment Solutions' holdings in Applied Materials were worth $84,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced that Broadcom will join its EPIC innovation platform to accelerate advanced chip packaging R&D for next-generation AI systems, reinforcing AMAT’s position in a key growth area. Applied Materials Announces Broadcom as EPIC Innovation Partner
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT was named to Zacks’ Rank #1 momentum stock list, suggesting strong near-term trader interest and favorable earnings momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for May 20th
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary on AMAT’s latest results highlighted strong AI demand, better-than-expected revenue and EPS, and raised guidance, which supports the stock’s bullish setup. AMAT Q1 Deep Dive: AI Demand Drives Growth in Semiconductor Equipment and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also pointed to rising operating leverage, margins at a 25-year high, and recurring services revenue as reasons the stock could keep benefiting from AI capex spending. Applied Materials Gains From Rising Operating Leverage: What's Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Energy Systems received a Supplier Excellence Award from Applied Materials, a positive supplier-management signal but not a major direct catalyst for AMAT’s earnings outlook. Applied Energy Systems Receives Supplier Excellence Award from Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as an attractive way to play AI infrastructure spending versus peers such as Lam Research, which is supportive for sentiment but largely commentary. Lam Research vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip Stock Has the Edge?
• Negative Sentiment: The semiconductor group also saw some pressure from broader sector weakness tied to supply-chain concerns, including Samsung labor-strike headlines and a TSMC stake sale, which could briefly weigh on AMAT sentiment. MACOM, Applied Materials, and Photronics Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly cut its view on Applied Materials, which is a modest overhang even as other analysts remain upbeat. Morgan Stanley downgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total transaction of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $410.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.14.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $426.85 on Thursday. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $383.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.95. The stock has a market cap of $338.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 1.15 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 17.28%.

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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