Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd Acquires 265,906 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings massively increased its stake in Applied Materials, buying 265,906 shares in the fourth quarter and bringing its total holding to 266,128 shares valued at about $68.4 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both topping analyst forecasts. The company also raised guidance for Q3 2026 to $3.16-$3.56 EPS.
• The stock has drawn strong Wall Street support, with several analysts reiterating or raising Buy targets and 27 analysts rating it Buy overall. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 10.

Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 119,777.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 266,128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 265,906 shares during the quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $68,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its position 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 position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,531,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.1% in the third quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $45,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Chad R boosted its position in Applied Materials by 76.6% in the fourth quarter. Baker Chad R now owns 16,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.6%

AMAT stock opened at $567.25 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $569.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.67. The business's 50-day moving average price is $427.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $352.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Argus lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. HSBC assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

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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