Findlay Park Partners LLP Has $84.85 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Findlay Park Partners LLP increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 36.9%, acquiring a total of 584,700 shares valued at approximately $84.85 million during the first quarter.
• Applied Materials recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, with a current payout ratio of 21.93% and an annualized dividend yield of 1.1%.
• Wall Street analysts have issued a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Applied Materials, with an average price target of $193.88 amidst varied price expectations from different brokerages.

Findlay Park Partners LLP increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 36.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 584,700 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 157,500 shares during the quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned approximately 0.07% of Applied Materials worth $84,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% during the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. B. Riley lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.88.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $0.88 during trading on Thursday, hitting $165.27. 7,895,438 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,411,038. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $215.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.75. The company has a market capitalization of $131.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.93%.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.