Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd

Key Points

• ICICI Prudential Asset Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,849 shares and leaving it with 43,385 shares worth about $11.15 million.
• Applied Materials beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $2.86 EPS on $7.91 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year and the company issued Q3 2026 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with multiple firms lifting price targets and the stock carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average target price of $483.03.

ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,385 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,849 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 1.3% of ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sepio Capital LP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. Meiji Yasuda America Inc acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,856,000. Nuveen LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 7,674,424 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,972,250,000 after acquiring an additional 672,992 shares during the last quarter. Xponance LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 145,169 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $37,307,000 after acquiring an additional 7,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 458,395 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $117,803,000 after acquiring an additional 86,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 11.2%

Applied Materials stock opened at $552.64 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $557.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $422.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $351.11. The company has a market capitalization of $438.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop and helping reinforce the stock’s upside momentum. Top 5 Strong Buy Stocks to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, citing continued investment in new chip supply and AI infrastructure demand. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of high-bandwidth memory and broader AI hardware spending, which supports long-term semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is One Of the Best High-Bandwidth Memory Stocks To Buy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new $500 million Singapore manufacturing expansion is being viewed as a strategic move to support AI chip demand and expand capacity for future growth. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

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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