Global X Japan Co. Ltd. Acquires 53,305 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 254.3% in Q4, buying an additional 53,305 shares to hold 74,269 shares valued at about $19.09 million, making AMAT roughly 1.5% of its portfolio and its 20th largest position.
• Applied Materials beat earnings ($2.38 vs. $2.21) on $7.01B revenue, reported record DRAM equipment revenue, set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, and the board approved about a 15% quarterly dividend increase to $0.53 per share.
• Market and ownership context: institutional investors own ~80.6% of AMAT, analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $363.46, while insiders have sold roughly 12,003 shares in the past 90 days (insider ownership ~0.30%).

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 254.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,269 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 53,305 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 1.5% of Global X Japan Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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: Company reported record DRAM equipment revenue, introduced new tools for advanced nodes and the board approved a 15% quarterly dividend increase — fundamentals that support mid/long-term demand tied to AI chip buildouts. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 5.7% After Record DRAM Tools, Dividend Hike And AI Supply-Chain Push
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary point to rising demand for HBM (high-bandwidth memory) and advanced packaging as potential accelerants for AMAT’s revenue growth tied to AI and high-performance compute. Can HBM and Packaging Demand Accelerate AMAT's Revenue Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Improving wafer‑fab spending visibility and ongoing AI-driven chip demand have supported recent rallies and underpin medium-term order momentum. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. industrial policy and large-scale supply-chain initiatives for semiconductors add another tailwind for equipment suppliers like AMAT. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative valuation and competitor positioning are under active debate (ASML vs AMAT); analysts still rate both highly but highlight different risk/reward profiles tied to technology moat and pricing. ASML vs. Applied Materials (AMAT): Which Chip Equipment Stock Offers Better Value in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/ETF flow commentary notes that tech earnings are improving but some ETFs (and share prices) lag underlying fundamentals — a signal that rotation or passive flows could mute upside. As Tech Earnings Grow, This ETF Still Hasn't Caught Up (AMAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group moved AMAT to a "hold" — a mild change in street positioning that may temper near-term momentum but is not a strong negative read. Zacks: Erste Group Bank AG Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide weakness hit multiple chip-equipment and chipmaker names today, and AMAT’s share decline appears driven largely by that broad pullback and profit-taking after recent gains. Teradyne, Applied Materials, Intel, KLA Corporation, and Semtech shares plummet, what you need to know
• Negative Sentiment: Despite an earnings beat, AMAT’s revenue was slightly down year-over-year in the last quarter and the shares carry a premium multiple that can amplify downside during market rotations. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Applied Materials (AMAT): Should You Buy?

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $338.55 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $395.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $268.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.99.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Applied Materials from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $363.46.

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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