Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Position Boosted by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its Applied Materials stake by 201.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 183,873 shares valued at about $47.3 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat: several analysts reiterated or raised Buy/Overweight ratings, and the consensus price target is $389.69, with 28 Buy ratings and 7 Hold ratings.
• Applied Materials posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share while guiding above expectations for Q3 2026.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 201.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,873 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 122,869 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $47,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $389.69.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $440.56 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $448.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $349.63 billion, a PE ratio of 45.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock's fifty day moving average is $377.52 and its 200-day moving average is $318.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.83%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported better-than-expected Q2 results, with EPS and revenue both topping analyst forecasts, signaling healthy demand for its chip-making tools. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued third-quarter guidance above expectations for both EPS and revenue, reinforcing confidence that AI-related spending will keep driving growth. Applied Materials sees upbeat quarterly revenue on sustained AI spending
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted record quarterly performance and ongoing strength in AI computing infrastructure buildout, which supports the bullish stock reaction. Applied Materials delivers record quarter and stronger-than-expected outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst price-target increases and multiple Buy/Overweight ratings added to momentum ahead of and after earnings. Citi massively revamps Applied Materials stock price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors were already expecting a big move into earnings, with options markets pricing in elevated volatility around the report. Applied Materials Last-Minute Q2 Earnings Alert
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media continued to frame AMAT as a key AI infrastructure beneficiary, keeping sentiment constructive without adding new company-specific news. How Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Deepening Its Role in AI Chip Manufacturing
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain cautious because growth in China has been slowing and export restrictions could continue to pressure demand in certain segments. Applied Materials' Coming AI Boom Comes Under the Microscope as It Reports Earnings

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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