BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Has $145.61 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 2.3% in the first quarter, but the position was still valued at about $145.6 million across 426,009 shares.
• Applied Materials posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, and it issued Q3 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 per share.
• The stock has surged sharply, opening at $617.11 and trading near its 52-week high, while analysts remain mostly bullish with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 426,009 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,829 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 1.5% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned approximately 0.05% of Applied Materials worth $145,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 8.3% in the first quarter. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 10.7% during the first quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $7,193,000 after buying an additional 2,027 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 20.3% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 36,592 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $12,507,000 after buying an additional 6,174 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 5,652 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $617.11 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $638.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $489.96 billion, a PE ratio of 57.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $451.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $364.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ AGS services business is being highlighted as a long-term growth engine, with AI-enabled services and expanding margins potentially creating more recurring revenue. Can AMAT's AGS Business Become a Long-Term Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: Shares are benefiting from renewed enthusiasm around AI demand and strong earnings momentum, with articles noting the stock has been hitting new highs after solid results and upbeat guidance. AI Demand, Earnings Send Applied Materials to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ with Qualcomm and EssilorLuxottica for AI eyewear, reinforcing investor hopes that the company can expand beyond core chipmaking tools into adjacent growth markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with higher price targets such as Citi’s $710 view helping fuel the rally by suggesting AI demand can justify the premium valuation. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Rallies 8.75% on Citi’s Bullish $710 Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders, including CEO Gary Dickerson and SVP Omkaram Nalamasu, sold shares this week; while the sales were small relative to their remaining holdings, they can weigh on sentiment. Why Applied Materials Insiders Sold $65 Million Worth of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary warns the stock looks expensive after a sharp year-to-date surge, with valuation comparisons to the dot-com era potentially prompting caution despite the strong fundamental backdrop. Applied Materials stock valuation and performance

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This trade represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $489.16.

About Applied Materials

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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