Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Sold by MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH

Key Points

• MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH cut its Applied Materials stake by 31.2% in the first quarter, selling 6,184 shares and leaving it with 13,613 shares valued at about $4.65 million.
• Applied Materials posted better-than-expected earnings, with Q2 results of $2.86 EPS on $7.91 billion in revenue, and it also issued Q3 2026 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 EPS.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on AMAT, with several raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus; meanwhile, the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH trimmed its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 31.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,613 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 6,184 shares during the quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 218.8% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $595.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $472.96 billion, a PE ratio of 55.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.57. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $525.21 and a 200-day moving average of $407.88. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America raised their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $589.48.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials gained attention after reports of a 10-year AI packaging partnership with TSMC, reinforcing its role in the AI supply chain. Applied Materials (AMAT) Lands 10 Year TSMC AI Packaging Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain upbeat on AMAT’s AI demand outlook, with Bernstein rating the stock a Buy and Stifel-style bullish commentary saying the company should benefit from a long AI investment cycle. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was included in lists of AI beneficiaries poised to produce strong cash flow and capitalize on heavy semiconductor infrastructure spending. The AI Boom Isn't Over: 3 Stocks to Buy for 2H 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Market headlines also noted Morgan Stanley kept an Equal Weight rating on AMAT, which is supportive but not a strong bullish signal. Morgan Stanley Maintains an “Equal Weight” Rating on Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier trading saw AMAT fall with the broader chip sector after weakness in Asian semiconductor names and an oil-price spike pressured tech stocks. Intel, AMD, and Applied Materials Drop 4% as SK Hynix Rout and Oil Spike Hit Chip Stocks

Applied Materials Company 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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