Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its Applied Materials stake by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 232,537 shares and ending with 949,480 shares worth about $244 million.
• Applied Materials posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 beating estimates and revenue of $7.91 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 11.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding a Moderate Buy consensus rating from Wall Street.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 949,480 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 232,537 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.12% of Applied Materials worth $244,007,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $567.25 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $569.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $427.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $352.62. The company has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. 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 released its 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 net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. 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 previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% 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 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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?

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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