Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Acquires Shares of 331,922 Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking bought a new stake of 331,922 Applied Materials shares in the fourth quarter, worth about $85.3 million. The position now represents roughly 3.1% of its portfolio and is its fourth-largest holding.
• Applied Materials continues to attract strong institutional and analyst interest, with 80.56% of shares owned by institutions and multiple recent firms initiating or raising buy ratings and price targets well above current levels.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46. However, insiders have also been selling shares recently, which may modestly weigh on sentiment.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 331,922 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $85,301,000. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 3.1% of Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% in the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,512,000 after acquiring an additional 12,132 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ new collaboration with Broadcom boosts its AI packaging story and highlights its importance in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains constructive, with traders noting strong semiconductor sector momentum, improving technicals, and continued AI infrastructure demand supporting AMAT. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Opinions on Semiconductor Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street still appears bullish on AMAT, with multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and price targets clustered well above current levels, reinforcing the stock’s longer-term upside case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage continues to frame Applied Materials as a key beneficiary of AI and advanced packaging trends, but some of the related articles are commentary rather than new company-specific developments. Applied Materials (AMAT): “The Arms Dealer of the Semiconductor Revolution”
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also highlighted the stock’s strong multi-year performance and its role among semiconductor equipment peers, which may support investor attention but do not add a major new catalyst. Here's How Much You'd Have If You Invested $1000 in Applied Materials a Decade Ago
• Negative Sentiment: One potential overhang is continued insider selling over the past six months, which can sometimes weigh on sentiment even when fundamentals remain strong.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock worth $2,678,139 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of AMAT opened at $432.16 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $448.45. 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 company has a market capitalization of $342.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $387.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $326.06.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. 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 yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $465.14.

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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