J. Stern & Co. LLP Raises Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• J. Stern & Co. LLP dramatically increased its stake in Applied Materials, boosting holdings by 25,599% in the fourth quarter to 719,572 shares worth about $184.9 million.
• Applied Materials is benefiting from multiple growth-focused initiatives, including a joint development deal with EssilorLuxottica for AR/AI smart eyewear optics, new chip-making equipment for 3D scaling, and a new $500 million Singapore facility.
• Analysts remain bullish after strong earnings and guidance, with several firms raising price targets; the company beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and received a Moderate Buy consensus rating.

J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 25,599.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 719,572 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 716,772 shares during the quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP owned about 0.09% of Applied Materials worth $184,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 15,003 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica to co-develop AR and AI-powered smart eyewear optics, opening a new growth angle beyond its core semiconductor equipment business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled new deposition and selective etch systems designed to improve precision in 3D chip structures, a development aimed at boosting performance and yield for AI chips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials opened a new $500 million manufacturing facility in Singapore, signaling continued investment to expand capacity and support demand tied to AI-driven semiconductor equipment growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price targets on AMAT, reinforcing bullish sentiment around wafer fab equipment spending and the company’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted that AMAT’s valuation has become stretched after a strong rally, which may limit upside even as fundamentals remain solid. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said AMAT slipped despite the EssilorLuxottica deal, suggesting investors may be taking profits or waiting for clearer near-term financial impact from the partnership. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Argus upped their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $568.23 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $436.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $358.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $600.91. The firm has a market cap of $451.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.35, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio 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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