Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,200 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,589,000. Applied Materials makes up about 1.0% of Caldwell Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 59.0% in the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 183.7% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $790,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,521,000 after buying an additional 105,776 shares during the period. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 204.8% during the 4th quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $36,177,000 after acquiring an additional 94,587 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $492.32 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $390.71 billion, a PE ratio of 42.44, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $562.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $451.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 18.28%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI demand supports the long-term outlook. JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating and estimates semiconductor-systems revenue could grow about 40% this year, with AI-related investment accounting for roughly 80% of chip-equipment demand. Applied Materials Sees Years Of AI-Fueled Growth Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Advanced packaging and memory opportunities remain catalysts. New equipment launches are strengthening Applied Materials’ position in advanced packaging as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and semiconductor manufacturing capacity expands. Can Applied Materials Sustain Its Growth Amid AI-Driven Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains favorable. Berenberg issued a Buy rating, while broader analyst recommendations continue to point toward adding AMAT to portfolios. However, investors should note that consensus ratings can be overly optimistic because they are based on sell-side opinions. Applied Materials Receives a Buy from Berenberg Bank
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals were stronger than expected, but the market response was weak. Applied Materials reported record fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.12 billion, up 25% year over year, and exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates. Its above-consensus outlook was apparently insufficient to overcome high expectations and valuation concerns. Applied Materials Delivered a Record Quarter. The Stock Fell Anyway
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile bearish positioning is weighing on sentiment. Paul Tudor Jones reportedly liquidated his AMAT common-stock position and increased his put exposure, while Dr. Michael Burry is also betting against the shares. These trades raise concerns about semiconductor-cycle risks and whether future foundry capital spending will meet already elevated expectations. Paul Tudor Jones Liquidated His Applied Materials Stake

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Craig Hallum increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $605.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $659.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total value of $25,264,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value 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. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 277,820 shares of company stock worth $169,538,434 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company 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.

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