Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Lowers Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 51.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 456,984 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 492,496 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $156,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. One Day In July LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 2.4% in the first quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.1% in the first quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total transaction of $14,704,400.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $540.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $525.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their price target on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $593.84.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $536.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $425.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.57. 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 firm's 50-day moving average price is $544.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $423.10. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is still viewed favorably versus a peer in advanced packaging, with commentary highlighting its AI-related packaging exposure, broad chipmaking portfolio, and high-margin services as reasons it may be a safer long-term bet. AMAT vs. Q: Which Advanced Packaging Stock is a Safer Bet Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to point to AI-led semiconductor demand, with Applied Materials repeatedly cited as one of the stocks benefiting from ongoing chip investment and stronger equipment spending. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on August 13, and recent previews suggest analysts expect another double-digit earnings increase, which can support sentiment ahead of the print. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s short-interest update appears to be data-noisy, showing zero shares outstanding and no meaningful days-to-cover signal, so it is unlikely to be a real trading driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials remains part of a broader semiconductor sector that is experiencing profit-taking and valuation-driven consolidation after a powerful AI rally, which is weighing on sentiment across the group. Semiconductor Crossroads: Healthy Consolidation or Deeper Repricing?
• Negative Sentiment: The pullback in semiconductor names suggests investors are locking in gains and reassessing high expectations, which is pressuring AMAT along with the rest of the sector despite solid fundamentals.

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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