BG Investment Services LLC Buys New Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• BG Investment Services LLC acquired a new Applied Materials stake of 3,547 shares valued at approximately $1.8 million during the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of AMAT.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic: 30 rate the stock a Buy and nine a Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $632.70.
• Applied Materials recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.50 in EPS and $9.12 billion in revenue, while AI-related semiconductor spending supports growth. However, weaker industry outlook comments from Lam Research have pressured AMAT and raised near-term concerns.

BG Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,547 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,814,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Innovative Asset Advisors Group LLC now owns 961 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 2.1% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $710.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $642.00 to $563.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Craig Hallum increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $632.70.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic investment expands AI and materials exposure. Applied Ventures, Applied Materials’ venture-capital arm, invested in Albert Invent, an AI platform for chemical and materials research. The deal could strengthen Applied’s exposure to software-enabled materials discovery and support longer-term innovation. Albert Invent Welcomes Applied Ventures as Investor
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate revision was modestly favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $18.67 from $18.59, although it maintained a “Hold” rating. The increase suggests some confidence in Applied Materials’ longer-term earnings outlook. Erste Group estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related semiconductor investment remains a growth catalyst. Advanced logic, DRAM and advanced-packaging spending is supporting the company’s Semiconductor Systems business, with potential benefits to revenue growth and margins. Can Semiconductor Systems Drive AMAT’s Next Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF demand provided a technical-support signal. Reports indicated approximately $102.1 million of net ETF buying in Applied Materials, suggesting continued institutional interest, though ETF flows do not necessarily change the company’s fundamentals. Applied Materials Sees $102.1 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for November 12. The upcoming earnings report will be an important catalyst for assessing demand, margins and management’s outlook. Applied Materials to Report Fourth-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Lam Research’s outlook pressured the entire equipment group. Lam’s comments that its outlook would be only “a bit higher,” alongside supply constraints, triggered concerns that growth may not accelerate as quickly as expected. Applied Materials and other chip-equipment stocks declined in sympathy. Applied Materials Sinks on Lam’s Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Relative analysis favors Lam Research. Analysts cited stronger memory growth and customer-support momentum at Lam, giving it an edge over Applied Materials in the wafer-fabrication-equipment market and potentially limiting AMAT’s near-term appeal. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which Stock Has an Edge?

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $377.24 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $467.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $486.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.60.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,225 shares of company stock valued at $4,454,181 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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