Elefante Mark B Boosts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Elefante Mark B boosted its Applied Materials stake by 58.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 3,520 shares and bringing its total to 9,498 shares worth about $2.44 million.
• Applied Materials continues to draw strong institutional and analyst support, with 80.56% of shares held by hedge funds and analysts maintaining a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $483.03.
• The company reported better-than-expected Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share while unveiling new AI and chip-scaling initiatives.

Elefante Mark B increased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 58.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,498 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,520 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.5% of Elefante Mark B's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Elefante Mark B's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,747,000 after acquiring an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Applied Materials by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $77,383,000 after acquiring an additional 157,426 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $502.00 price target (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The business's 50 day moving average is $436.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $358.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $600.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $451.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.35, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, 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 transaction of $507,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,944,800. The trade was a 4.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 owned 136,113 shares in the company, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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