Boothbay Fund Management LLC Purchases 34,459 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Boothbay Fund Management increased its stake in Applied Materials by 254.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 34,459 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 47,983 shares worth about $12.3 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or initiated positions in AMAT, and the stock remains heavily owned by institutions, with about 80.56% held by hedge funds and other investors.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, with earnings and revenue both beating estimates, while analysts have continued raising price targets and keeping the stock at a Moderate Buy consensus rating.

Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 254.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,983 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 34,459 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,331,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 21.8% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $1,531,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Chad R grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% during the fourth quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $4,297,000 after buying an additional 7,170 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 at the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 189,767 shares of company stock valued at $107,769,409. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $592.92 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $441.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $360.55. The company has a market cap of $470.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $623.35. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 19.91%.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials, boosting confidence that AI infrastructure spending and demand for memory-chip manufacturing tools will keep growth strong. Applied Materials surges as Citi lifts target on AI demand boom
• Positive Sentiment: The company unveiled SENZ, an integrated AI/AR smart-glasses visual platform, expanding its story beyond semiconductor equipment into next-generation optics and wearable tech. EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials Join Forces to Advance Augmented Reality Optics Platforms for Next-Generation Smart Glasses
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials and EssilorLuxottica announced a long-term partnership to develop AR and AI smart-eyewear optics, suggesting an additional growth avenue and validating AMAT’s materials expertise. EssilorLuxottica, Applied Materials strike deal to develop smart glasses, AR technology
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted record highs and strong momentum for chip-equipment stocks, with AMAT benefiting from the broader AI-driven rally in semiconductor capital equipment. Applied Materials Stock Is One Of the S&P 500 Leaders Today. It's AI.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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.

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.