Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Holdings Increased by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,928 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 2,271 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.3% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 80,212,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $57,993,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,685 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 85.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,525,842 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $50,267,184,000 after buying an additional 32,018,892 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,746,769,000 after buying an additional 1,558,749 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,808,207 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,645,344,000 after buying an additional 1,246,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,713,599 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,576,932,000 after buying an additional 1,073,879 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain key growth drivers. Analysts and commentary highlighted Applied Materials’ improving revenue trajectory, dependable earnings, and exposure to rising chip complexity and artificial-intelligence infrastructure spending relative to peers such as Qualcomm, Marvell Technology, Lam Research, and KLA. Applied Materials vs. Qualcomm revenue trends Applied Materials vs. Marvell Technology revenue trends
• Positive Sentiment: AGS momentum could support recurring revenue. Applied Materials’ Applied Global Services business is gaining support from AI-enabled services, fab utilization, and recurring customer revenue, with growth potential extending through 2030. Can Applied Materials sustain AGS momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: UCLA partnership strengthens long-term innovation prospects. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering will collaborate at the EPIC Center to accelerate the commercialization of semiconductor research, potentially shortening the path from laboratory breakthroughs to high-volume manufacturing. Applied Materials and UCLA Engineering partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: TSMC’s planned capital spending is a demand positive, but not an immediate catalyst. An Applied Materials veteran said TSMC may still be underbuilding despite potential capital expenditures of up to $64 billion, underscoring continued equipment demand while also raising questions about investment timing. TSMC capital spending outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and market weakness pressured the stock. Reports of insider share sales added a near-term sentiment headwind, while AMAT declined more than the broader market. The move comes despite the company’s strong fundamentals, including recent earnings and revenue beats, leaving valuation sensitivity as another potential concern. Applied Materials insider selling Applied Materials market performance

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. New Street Research dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 14th. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $605.00 price target (down from $680.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. One research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $640.20.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was 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 directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $509.57 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The firm has a market cap of $404.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.60. The company's 50-day moving average is $488.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $481.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

About Applied Materials

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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