Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab

Key Points

• Danica Pension raised its stake in Applied Materials by 37.8% in Q4 to 78,330 shares (about $20.13M); overall institutional ownership stands at ~80.6% with other large funds (Vanguard, Capital Research, Ameriprise) also adding shares.
• Applied posted a quarterly EPS beat ($2.38 vs. $2.21) on $7.01B revenue and set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (from $0.46), an annualized $2.12 (≈0.5% yield).
• Multiple analysts have raised price targets and ratings (e.g., Barclays, B. Riley), leaving a consensus "Moderate Buy," but investors should watch regulatory risk from recent U.S. export curbs affecting shipments to Chinese foundry Hua Hong.

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 37.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,330 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the period. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $20,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Applied Materials by 225.4% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after purchasing an additional 10,305,182 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 42.6% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,247,838,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,552,132 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,160,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,911 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $394.49 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.74 and a 52 week high of $420.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $313.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.64. The stock's fifty day moving average is $368.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded AMAT to Buy, citing continued AI-driven semiconductor investment and positioning Applied as a primary beneficiary of advanced-node equipment demand. This supports the bull case and likely helps near-term share gains. Erste Group Upgrades Applied Materials
• Positive Sentiment: Erste analysts also nudged FY2026–FY2027 EPS estimates slightly higher (FY2026 to ~$11.08 and FY2027 to ~$14.00), signaling improved earnings trajectory vs. prior forecasts and reinforcing buy-side interest. (Market commentary)
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer mentioned AMAT as one of the attractive capex-exposed names on Mad Money, increasing retail/institutional visibility and potentially lifting demand from momentum traders. Jim Cramer Considers Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation checks and coverage note that AMAT has outperformed YTD and over recent months; investors are reassessing valuation vs. growth, which could support further multiple expansion if growth persists or cap expectations cool if not. Applied Materials Valuation Check
• Neutral Sentiment: AMAT remains a trending stock on investor screens (coverage from Zacks highlights interest drivers and risks) — increased attention can amplify moves both directions. Zacks: Why AMAT is Trending
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Commerce Department ordered restrictions that pause certain tool shipments to Chinese foundry Hua Hong, increasing regulatory risk and potential near-term revenue pressure from China exposure. This is the primary near-term headwind to watch. US Export Curbs On Hua Hong
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded AMAT from "strong-buy" to "hold", which could temper some buy-side momentum and suggests caution among certain retail-focused analysts. Zacks Downgrade

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.29.

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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