Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Fifth Third Bancorp

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Applied Materials by 34.2% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 641,828 shares worth about $219.4 million.
• Applied Materials’ stock rose 2.4% to $602.50, while the company continues to show strong financial momentum with Q2 earnings and revenue beating estimates and quarterly revenue up 11.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain constructive on AMAT, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus; the company also recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 34.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 641,828 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 163,703 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned 0.08% of Applied Materials worth $219,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $8,405,458,000 after buying an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $86,610,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357,167 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $13.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $602.50. 6,270,022 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,077,411. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $517.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $402.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $478.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57.

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. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $589.48.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% 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 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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