Insight Holdings Group LLC Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Insight Holdings Group disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Applied Materials, buying 37,355 shares worth about $12.8 million. The position now represents roughly 0.9% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other investors owning 80.56% of Applied Materials shares. Several firms recently added to or started positions, including Tiger Global, OMERS, and Cooper Creek Partners.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on AMAT, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $593.84. The company also reported earnings and revenue above expectations, and it will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share on September 10.

Insight Holdings Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 37,355 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,768,000. Applied Materials makes up about 0.9% of Insight Holdings Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Everest Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth $1,490,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.5% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 71,997 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $24,608,000 after acquiring an additional 5,005 shares in the last quarter. Tiger Global Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 85.1% during the first quarter. Tiger Global Management LLC now owns 1,656,900 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $566,312,000 after acquiring an additional 761,700 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $13,566,000. Finally, FreeGulliver LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $207,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $570.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $593.84.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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 Stock Down 4.7%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $536.25 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The stock has a market cap of $425.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.57. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $544.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $423.10.

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 for 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%. The company's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

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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