Kentucky Retirement Systems Buys 49,061 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 97.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 99,419 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 49,061 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 1.2% of Kentucky Retirement Systems' investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Applied Materials were worth $33,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Argus lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. UBS Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $570.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $599.19.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials has benefited from AI-driven increases in wafer-fabrication spending, supporting demand for its semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A recent fund review cited the company as a beneficiary of rising AI-related capital expenditures. Applied Materials Rose on AI-Driven Wafer Fabrication Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention around AMAT has increased, according to Zacks, but the article provides no new company-specific earnings, guidance or fundamental catalyst. The heightened search interest may reflect volatility and investor efforts to assess the stock’s outlook. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT is being pulled down with the broader semiconductor group as investors question the sustainability and financing of AI infrastructure spending. Rising competition from China is adding to pressure on chip-equipment shares. Semiconductor Stocks Trade Down
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that China is mass-producing domestic immersion DUV lithography equipment raise a longer-term competitive risk for Applied Materials. Local alternatives could reduce Western suppliers’ access to Chinese fabs, while export controls further complicate the company’s ability to convert AI demand into orders. China’s Domestic Immersion DUV Push
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market selling intensified amid a sharp oil-price increase tied to renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and uncertainty ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision. Falling major indexes reduced risk appetite for high-beta technology and semiconductor stocks such as AMAT. Oil Spikes as Nasdaq 100 Sinks

Applied Materials Trading Down 8.4%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $436.45 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $346.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $547.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $428.02. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.46 and a 12-month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The business's 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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