Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Bought by CX Institutional

Key Points

• CX Institutional increased its Applied Materials position by 333.3% in the third quarter, holding 25,853 shares valued at approximately $12.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 24.8% year over year to $9.12 billion and EPS of $3.50, beating estimates. The company also issued fourth-quarter guidance of $3.82–$4.22 EPS and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $629.38 versus a recent price of $540.04. However, insider selling, elevated valuation, and uncertainty over the durability of AI, memory, and advanced-packaging demand remain risks.

CX Institutional grew its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 333.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,886 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $57,993,650,000 after buying an additional 1,237,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $50,267,184,000 after acquiring an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Applied Materials by 119.8% during 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 during the period. Amundi raised its position in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,645,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,876 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 16.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,576,932,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,879 shares in the last quarter. 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: Expanded AI packaging partnership: BE Semiconductor is joining Applied Materials’ EPIC Center as an Innovation Partner. The collaboration will target 3D integrated circuits, logic and memory integration, photonics, hybrid bonding, thermo-compression bonding, and die-on-wafer, die-on-die, and die-on-panel architectures. These technologies could benefit from rising demand for AI infrastructure and advanced chip packaging. Applied Materials and Besi expand strategic partnership
• Positive Sentiment: AI and memory demand could extend growth: An investor letter highlighted continued expansion in AI computing and semiconductor memory shortages as factors that may support Applied Materials’ equipment demand. The company’s broad exposure to chip fabrication and packaging gives it multiple ways to participate in AI-related capital spending. AI compute expansion and memory shortages
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target remains above the recent trading level: Analysts cited in a market report have an average price target of $629.38, suggesting potential upside if Applied Materials meets expectations for continued earnings growth. Applied Materials average target price
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and comparisons: Recent commentary describes Applied Materials as offering broad AI-driven growth and a lower valuation than some semiconductor-equipment alternatives, although its elevated earnings multiple means further gains likely depend on sustained execution and strong industry spending.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution risk remains: Applied Materials’ record equipment sales could reflect unusually strong conditions rather than a permanent new baseline. Investors should watch whether AI-related demand, memory spending, and advanced-packaging adoption translate into durable orders and margins. What investors may be overlooking

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.0%

Applied Materials stock traded up $10.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $540.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,898,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,949,976. The firm has a market capitalization of $428.58 billion, a PE ratio of 46.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's fifty day moving average is $485.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $475.44.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. Applied Materials's revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $629.38.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat-panel displays and other advanced electronic products. Its technologies help customers build and enhance materials at the nanoscale, supporting processes such as deposition, etching, inspection, metrology and packaging.

The company's offerings include semiconductor manufacturing systems, process-control and inspection equipment, and services designed to improve the performance, productivity and longevity of production equipment.

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