Dara Capital US Inc. Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Dara Capital US Inc. purchased a new position of 8,869 shares of Applied Materials (~$2.28M) in Q4, making up about 2.0% of the fund's holdings and its 12th-largest position.
• Applied Materials has fresh product catalysts and analyst momentum — the company unveiled new 2nm GAA deposition tools and several brokers raised price targets (e.g., Susquehanna to $500), leaving a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $367.04 target.
• Insider selling has occurred recently: CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares at $361.21 and Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares at $391.71, with insiders selling 12,003 shares (~$4.48M) over the past 90 days and now owning 0.30% of the stock.

Dara Capital US Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,869 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,279,000. Applied Materials makes up about 2.0% of Dara Capital US Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Traveka Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,096 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Breakthrough tool launch — Applied announced new 2nm GAA deposition tools and broader chipmaking systems aimed at next‑gen AI logic chips; market reacted strongly to the product cycle and AI demand implications. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Price target and ratings lift — Susquehanna raised its AMAT price target to $500 and moved to a positive rating, and other brokers have reiterated buys or a “moderate buy” consensus, providing analyst‑driven upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage confirmations — Bernstein reaffirmed a buy and coverage summaries show an overall constructive analyst stance, supporting investor confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: DRAM business gains traction — Coverage notes strong DRAM demand driven by AI and key partnerships, but cautions that rising competition could limit the durability of the surge. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data flagged but appears to be a data anomaly — a report showed a jump in “short interest” figures that resolve to zero shares (NaN/inconsistent), so no clear bearish signal from shorts. (data entry 4/10)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — broader market moves (e.g., macro headlines and risk‑on sentiment) have amplified momentum in semiconductors; useful but not AMAT‑specific. Article Title

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $367.04.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.3%

AMAT stock opened at $399.20 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.80 and a 52-week high of $407.29. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $351.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $288.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.64.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

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.

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