Candriam S.C.A. Has $28.54 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 13.3% in the first quarter, buying 9,821 additional shares and bringing its total to 83,487 shares valued at about $28.54 million.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above analyst forecasts, while also issuing Q3 guidance of $3.16 to $3.56 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at “Moderate Buy,” even as some insiders sold shares recently.

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 13.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,487 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,821 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $28,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.3% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the first quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $13.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $602.50. The company had a trading volume of 6,270,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,077,411. The stock has a market capitalization of $478.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The firm's 50 day moving average is $517.90 and its 200-day moving average is $402.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.13 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Mizuho lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $589.48.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials rallied after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers have “tremendous visibility” into demand, implying the AI investment cycle could support equipment orders for years rather than quarters. Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Jumps after CEO Says AI Chip Demand Has Years to Run
• Positive Sentiment: Meta Platforms’ reported plan to begin manufacturing an in-house AI chip helped spark a broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials, on expectations that AI infrastructure spending will remain strong. Applied Materials stock jumps as Meta AI chip plan lifts semiconductor names
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel and Needham both raised their price targets on AMAT and kept buy ratings, reinforcing the view that improving fundamentals and AI-driven demand could support further upside. Applied Materials PT Raised to $650 at Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was removed from several Russell value-oriented indices in late June, a classification change that reflects the stock’s shift toward being viewed more as an AI/semiconductor growth name than a value stock. How Investors Are Reacting To Applied Materials (AMAT) Being Dropped From Key Russell Value Indices
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no reported short interest as of July 10, offering little evidence of bearish positioning from the latest filing.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company'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 sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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.