Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 157,582 shares and bringing its total holding to 2.44 million shares worth about $629.1 million. Institutional investors overall remain heavily involved, owning 80.56% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on AMAT, with 27 Buy ratings and eight Hold ratings, and a consensus “Moderate Buy” view with an average price target of $489.16. Several firms recently raised their targets, including Cantor Fitzgerald to $650 and Seaport Research Partners starting coverage with a Buy rating.
• Applied Materials delivered strong quarterly results and guided higher, posting EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, both above estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 10.

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,444,695 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 157,582 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.31% of Applied Materials worth $629,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $502.00 target price (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $489.16.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $617.11 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $638.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $451.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $364.90. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $489.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 12.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid 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 yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 189,767 shares of company stock worth $107,769,409 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AGS services business is being highlighted as a long-term growth engine, with AI-enabled services and expanding margins potentially creating more recurring revenue. Can AMAT's AGS Business Become a Long-Term Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Shares are benefiting from renewed enthusiasm around AI demand and strong earnings momentum, with articles noting the stock has been hitting new highs after solid results and upbeat guidance. AI Demand, Earnings Send Applied Materials to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ with Qualcomm and EssilorLuxottica for AI eyewear, reinforcing investor hopes that the company can expand beyond core chipmaking tools into adjacent growth markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with higher price targets such as Citi’s $710 view helping fuel the rally by suggesting AI demand can justify the premium valuation. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Rallies 8.75% on Citi’s Bullish $710 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson and SVP Omkaram Nalamasu, sold shares this week; while the sales were small relative to their remaining holdings, they can weigh on sentiment. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary warns the stock looks expensive after a sharp year-to-date surge, with valuation comparisons to the dot-com era potentially prompting caution despite the strong fundamental backdrop. Applied Materials stock valuation and performance

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.

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