Flputnam Investment Management Co. Acquires 10,637 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 23.8% in the second quarter, buying 10,637 shares for a total holding of 55,311 shares valued at approximately $39.99 million.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.50 and revenue of $9.12 billion, up 24.8% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $659.83.
• Despite bullish AI-driven semiconductor demand, the stock faces valuation and execution risks after a major rally. Investors are also monitoring recent chip-equipment-sector selling and substantial insider sales, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 23.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,311 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 10,637 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $39,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.0% during the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,082,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 183.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Applied Materials by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 462,685 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $334,521,000 after buying an additional 105,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong raised its position in Applied Materials by 204.8% during the 4th quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 140,773 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $36,177,000 after buying an additional 94,587 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was included in Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum list, reflecting continued favorable technical and fundamental sentiment after its substantial 2026 rally. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for August 19th
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst upgrade recently supported AMAT, while longer-term bullish arguments point to AI-driven semiconductor demand, a broad equipment portfolio and strong international revenue opportunities. Applied Materials Trading Higher Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials had surged about 98% in 2026 and 31% over three months, making it a major beneficiary of the AI-capital-spending trade but also leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking and shifts in expectations. Applied Materials Rockets 98% in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on AI-related growth and semiconductor demand, but AMAT’s premium valuation requires continued execution and strong forecasts to justify further gains. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure is concentrated across chip-equipment names, including Applied Materials, Lam Research and Teradyne. Because the broader market is rising while the group sells off, investors appear concerned about the durability or timing of AI-related capital expenditures rather than interest rates alone. What Is Prompting the Selloff in Chip Equipment Stocks?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether AMAT is “priced for perfection,” with its elevated earnings multiple increasing the risk of a sharper reaction to any slowdown in AI spending or semiconductor demand. Applied Materials Is Priced For Perfection

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $496.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.94 billion, a PE ratio of 42.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $565.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $449.54.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $659.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,599,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials 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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