iA Global Asset Management Inc. Purchases 6,795 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,795 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 100,197 shares worth about $25.75 million.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates and raising guidance, with management pointing to robust AI infrastructure spending as a key driver.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy; the company also lifted its quarterly dividend to $0.53 from $0.46.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,197 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 6,795 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $25,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $463.89.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $436.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market cap of $346.51 billion, a PE ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $379.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $319.44. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.47 and a fifty-two week high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.48% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials posted record Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue expectations and lifting its outlook, with management citing strong AI infrastructure spending as a key growth driver. Applied Materials Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turned more bullish after the report, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and KeyCorp, reinforcing confidence in multi-year earnings growth. Applied Materials Sees Multi-Year AI Boom Driving Record Revenue And Growth Through 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted a durable AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, suggesting Applied Materials could sustain elevated demand and margins through 2027-2028. Krish Sankar Reaffirms Buy on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market backdrop is weaker, with major indexes down as Treasury yields and oil prices rise, which is adding headwinds for high-valuation tech and AI stocks. Stock Market Today: Dow Falls As Oil Prices, Yields Jump; Applied Materials, Nvidia, Cerebras Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the strong earnings report, the stock is slipping as investors rotate out after a sharp year-to-date rally, showing some concern that expectations may already be very high. Applied Materials slips despite record quarter and strong outlook (AMAT)

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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