Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. Trims Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Coronation Fund Managers cut its stake in Applied Materials by 96.8% in Q4, selling 153,142 shares and retaining 5,002 shares valued at $1.285 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Applied Materials beat Q1 estimates (non‑GAAP EPS $2.38 vs $2.21; revenue $7.01B vs $6.88B), set Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.44–2.84, and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" from analysts with an average price target of $368.29.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, ~0.5% yield), while insiders sold about 12,003 shares totaling roughly $4.48 million in the last quarter.

Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 96.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,002 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 153,142 shares during the quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Klingman & Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 10,392 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $232,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 116.4% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,300 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,988,000 after acquiring an additional 12,534 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 132.8% in the fourth quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 22,789 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,857,000 after acquiring an additional 13,001 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.29.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $417.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $330.94 billion, a PE ratio of 42.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $366.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $301.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.71 and a 1-year high of $420.50.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and DRAM strength — Applied beat estimates (non-GAAP EPS $2.38 vs $2.21) and reported record DRAM revenue now ~34% of Semiconductor Systems revenue, supporting a stronger memory-driven growth outlook. Philippe Laffont's Coatue Is Betting Billions on These 3 AI Stocks. Here's Why Smart Money Sees AI Dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla terafab participation — Applied joined Tesla’s Terafab project, a potential validation of AMAT’s equipment roadmap and a source of future equipment orders if Tesla scales fabs. Applied Materials Just Joined the Tesla Terafab Project. Does That Make AMAT Stock a Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish endorsements — Jim Cramer publicly called AMAT “a great buy,” and buy-side interest (e.g., Coatue) draws retail and institutional attention that can support momentum. Jim Cramer on Applied Materials: “It’s Not a Good Buy, It’s a Great Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and sector tailwinds — Analysts and industry write-ups expect double-digit EPS growth next quarter and highlight semiconductor/AI-driven demand (especially for memory/DRAM), which benefits AMAT’s equipment backlog and margin outlook. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Q2 2026 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Industry buy lists and thematic coverage — AMAT appears on semiconductor/AI-themed buy lists (Zacks, industry commentaries) as investors favor companies exposed to AI, ML and memory demand. 3 Stocks to Buy From the Prospering Semiconductor Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings date set — Applied will report fiscal Q2 2026 results on May 14; the event is a clear near-term catalyst but outcome/tone will determine direction. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Results on May 14, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative upside narratives — Coverage arguing AMAT could be a trillion-dollar company candidate is bullish headline-grabbing speculation but depends on sustained margin and end-market expansion. Applied Materials (AMAT): Analyzing the Next Stock to Breach the Trillion Dollar Barrier
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data anomaly — a report shows a “large increase” but lists zero shares and NaN changes; likely a data glitch rather than actionable short-squeeze signal. (source: short interest report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. buy/sell write-ups — Multiple “is AMAT a buy?” pieces and commentaries summarize bull cases; they reinforce investor interest but add no new company-specific catalysts. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last quarter. 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.

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