Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 3,590 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management reduced its Applied Materials position by 18% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,590 shares and leaving it with 16,354 shares valued at about $4.2 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: several firms raised price targets, including Mizuho’s move to $540, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with 27 Buy ratings and a $470.13 average target.
• Applied Materials reported strong recent results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.

Intech Investment Management LLC cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,354 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,590 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,727 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,243,000 after purchasing an additional 3,913 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP raised its stake in Applied Materials by 137.4% during the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 124,384 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,966,000 after purchasing an additional 456,806 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. IFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 37,229 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $9,567,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he’s betting that Applied Materials “will just keep winning,” reinforcing the bullish case for the stock and adding to positive investor momentum. Jim Cramer Says He’s Betting “Applied Materials Will Just Keep Winning”
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst coverage remained constructive, with Mizuho reportedly raising its price target on Applied Materials to $540 from $500 while reiterating an Outperform rating, signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term fundamentals. Applied Materials (AMAT) – Among the 10 Best Long-Term Dividend Stocks to Invest In According to Billionaires
• Positive Sentiment: Articles focused on Applied Materials as a trending stock and a favored “real value” AI/semiconductor name, suggesting rising investor attention and support for the share price. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage-focused commentary emphasized that Wall Street’s bullish views matter for the stock, but did not add a new catalyst beyond reinforcing existing optimism. Is It Worth Investing in Applied Materials (AMAT) Based on Wall Street's Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broadcom’s announcement of new AI and edge-network platforms mentioned Applied Materials as one of several partners, which is supportive context for the semiconductor ecosystem but not a direct AMAT-specific catalyst. Why Broadcom (AVGO) Is Up 11.1% After New AI Data Center And Edge Network Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: No major negative company-specific developments were highlighted in the provided articles, so there is little evidence of a fundamental headwind driving AMAT lower today.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. KGI Securities raised Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $470.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total value of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares in the company, valued at $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of AMAT opened at $458.17 on Tuesday. 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 $363.77 billion, a PE ratio of 43.02, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $463.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $399.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $335.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. 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 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders 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 is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

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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