Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management boosted its Applied Materials stake by 82.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 18,505 shares valued at about $4.76 million. The filing underscores continued institutional interest in AMAT.
• Applied Materials has seen broad analyst support, including upgraded ratings and higher price targets from firms like JPMorgan and UBS. The consensus view remains “Moderate Buy,” with 27 Buy ratings and a target price of $483.03.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates and issuing Q3 2026 guidance above expectations. Shares were also trading near their 52-week high, reflecting strong momentum in chip equipment stocks.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 82.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,505 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 8,347 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake 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 boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 617.2% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $685,684,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $567.25 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $427.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $352.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.37 billion, a PE ratio of 53.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $569.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is 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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