iA Global Asset Management Inc. Buys 3,929 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 3.9% in the first quarter, buying 3,929 shares and bringing its total holding to 104,126 shares valued at about $35.6 million.
• Several other hedge funds also added to AMAT, and institutional investors now own 80.56% of the stock, underscoring broad professional interest in the company.
• Analysts remain largely upbeat despite some mixed signals: the consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with 27 Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $553.56, while the stock has also seen a sharp rally and insider selling.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,126 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,929 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $35,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after acquiring an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 422,694 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $77,383,000 after purchasing an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. 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 research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $553.56.

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of AMAT opened at $723.00 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $574.03 billion, a PE ratio of 67.89, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $486.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $384.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Bank of America all turned more bullish on AMAT, with multiple price-target hikes and fresh upside calls ahead of earnings, reinforcing the view that demand for chip-making equipment remains strong. Why Applied Materials Shares Are Surging Monday
• Positive Sentiment: The stock has been one of the biggest winners in the semiconductor space, with June marking its best monthly rally since 1975 as AI infrastructure spending lifted estimates and investor sentiment. Stock Of The Day: Is This The Top For Applied Materials?
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials, signaling confidence that earnings growth can continue beyond the current year. Applied Materials, Inc. NASDAQ: AMAT
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note the stock is technically very extended and “overbought,” which suggests momentum is strong but also raises the risk of a near-term pullback after the huge run-up. Stock Of The Day: Is This The Top For Applied Materials?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was also added to the Russell Top 50 Index, which can boost visibility and passive fund ownership, though the impact is more about flows than fundamentals. Applied Materials (AMAT) Joins Russell Top 50 After Leaving Value Indexes

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.