Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Sold by Maj Invest Holding A S

Key Points

• Maj Invest Holding A S cut its Applied Materials position by 29.3% in the third quarter, selling 51,791 shares and retaining 124,960 shares valued at approximately $63.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds still own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Applied Materials continues to benefit from strong semiconductor demand, including expected memory-fabrication investment and an expanded stake in BE Semiconductor focused on AI-chip packaging. Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $632.70.
• AMAT reported quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion and earnings of $3.50 per share, exceeding estimates, while guiding for fourth-quarter EPS of $3.82–$4.22. Shares recently traded at $416, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Maj Invest Holding A S lessened its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 29.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 124,960 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 51,791 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 2.8% of Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $63,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harborfront Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is 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: Memory shortage supports equipment demand. SK Hynix’s forecast that a memory shortage could persist through 2030 suggests years of additional fab construction and equipment purchases. Applied Materials rose alongside Lam Research and KLA as investors anticipated increased orders from memory manufacturers. Chip Equipment Stocks Rally as SK Hynix Signals Memory Shortage Into 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded BE Semiconductor stake strengthens the AI-packaging strategy. Applied Materials plans to increase its ownership of Dutch equipment maker BE Semiconductor Industries to approximately 20% from 9%, deepening cooperation in hybrid bonding and advanced interconnect technologies used in AI and high-performance-computing chips. Shares in BE Semiconductor jump after Applied Materials raises stake to 20%
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry forecasts remain constructive. Bernstein issued a Buy rating, while analysts expect strong double-digit earnings growth ahead of the company’s fourth-quarter report. A new industry report also projects substantial expansion in epitaxial wafer and chip technology, where Applied Materials is a major participant. Applied Materials receives a Buy from Bernstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate-governance attention is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Applied Materials joined other large companies objecting to tokenized versions of their shares offered through OKX and Intercontinental Exchange under an SEC innovation framework.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from China exposure, supply bottlenecks and valuation. Analysts caution that export restrictions and dependence on constrained semiconductor supply chains could limit the rally. AMAT’s recent decline and valuation near 36 times earnings also leave the stock sensitive to any slowdown in AI or memory spending.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total value of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,732,245.36. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total value of $465,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,877,960. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 5.1%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $416.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $330.14 billion, a PE ratio of 35.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $461.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $442.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $739.67.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Craig Hallum raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $683.00 to $641.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $632.70.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company's offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.

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