Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Jupiter Asset Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Applied Materials, buying 3,223 shares worth about $828,000. The filing underscores continued institutional interest in the semiconductor equipment maker.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish, with multiple analysts raising price targets and Applied Materials now carrying an average Moderate Buy rating and a consensus target of about $470.13. Cantor Fitzgerald also reiterated an Overweight rating and lifted its target to $575.
• The company delivered strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and raised its dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46. Applied Materials also provided Q3 guidance above expectations, reinforcing optimism around AI-driven semiconductor demand.

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,223 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $828,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised 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 buying an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised 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 buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $410,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised 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 buying an additional 3,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised 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 buying an additional 157,426 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $465.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $480.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $470.13.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its Overweight rating on Applied Materials and raised its price target to $575, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment and pointing to more upside potential. Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT Receives Overweight Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights AMAT’s blowout quarterly results, higher outlook, and new AI chip equipment partnerships with companies like Broadcom and SCREEN, all of which support expectations for continued demand in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Assessing Applied Materials (AMAT) Valuation After Earnings Beat And New AI Chip Equipment Partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Gary Dickerson said the semiconductor industry is in its strongest period ever, with AI driving unprecedented computing demand, which adds to the long-term growth narrative for Applied Materials. This is the greatest time ever for semiconductors, says CEO of key equipment supplier
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT continues to attract bullish commentary from analysts and market commentators as a leading AI semiconductor equipment play, helping sustain momentum in the shares. KLA vs. Applied Materials: Which Chip Equipment Stock Wins Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also presented at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference, which kept investors focused on management’s outlook but did not add a major new catalyst. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Presents at Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by Director Judy Bruner may create a modest headwind, though the sale was small relative to her remaining stake and does not appear to change the broader bullish thesis. Applied Materials director Judy Bruner stock sale

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $450.06 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $462.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $397.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $333.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $357.33 billion, a PE ratio of 42.26, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were 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 approximately $1,858,461.60. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About Applied Materials

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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