Blue Capital Inc. Invests $2.78 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Blue Capital Inc. opened a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter, buying 10,818 shares worth about $2.78 million. The stake represents roughly 2% of Blue Capital’s portfolio.
• Applied Materials has seen positive analyst and investor sentiment, with Citi lifting its price target to $710 and other firms reiterating buy ratings. Coverage also points to AI infrastructure spending and memory-chip equipment demand as key growth drivers.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it raised its Q3 2026 guidance. However, recent insider sales by senior executives were notable, including sales by the CEO and another insider.

Blue Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 10,818 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,780,000. Applied Materials makes up about 2.0% of Blue Capital Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials, reinforcing the view that AI infrastructure spending and memory-chip equipment demand should keep driving revenue growth. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials launched SENZ, a fully integrated visual system for AI smart glasses, and partnered with EssilorLuxottica and Qualcomm, giving investors a potential new long-term growth avenue. Applied Materials (AMAT) Launches SENZ With Qualcomm And EssilorLuxottica For AI Eyewear
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Applied Materials as a beneficiary of the AI equipment super-cycle, with strong earnings, robust wafer-fab equipment demand, and favorable analyst sentiment supporting the rally. Applied Materials: The Cheapest Seat On The AI Equipment Super-Cycle

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.1%

AMAT opened at $617.11 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $446.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.12. The firm has a market cap of $489.96 billion, a PE ratio of 57.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.67. 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $489.16.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, 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 owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.