Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 212,004 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 63.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 544,306 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 212,004 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Applied Materials worth $186,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 218.8% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $536.25 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $425.76 billion, a PE ratio of 50.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.57. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $544.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $424.08. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business 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 is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the firm'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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total value of $5,547,872.50. Following the sale, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $593.84.

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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