Dempze Nancy E Buys 3,956 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Dempze Nancy E increased its stake in Applied Materials by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 3,956 additional shares and bringing its total to 11,942 shares worth about $3.07 million.
• Applied Materials has been drawing strong institutional and analyst attention, with several large investors adding shares and multiple brokerages raising price targets; analysts now rate the stock a Moderate Buy on average.
• The company continues to post solid business results, beating earnings and revenue estimates in its latest quarter and issuing upbeat guidance, while also unveiling new semiconductor equipment and expanding capacity with a $500 million Singapore facility.

Dempze Nancy E raised its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 49.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,942 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,956 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.6% of Dempze Nancy E's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Dempze Nancy E's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during 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 period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during 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 period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during 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 period. Finally, Baker Chad R increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 76.6% during 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 period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $502.00 price objective (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $436.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $358.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $451.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $600.91.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

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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