Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $131.64 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion trimmed its Applied Materials stake by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, but still held 512,245 shares worth about $131.64 million. Applied Materials remains a meaningful position, accounting for 2.4% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Applied Materials beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, posting EPS of $2.86 on revenue of $7.91 billion, both above analyst estimates. The company also gave stronger-than-expected guidance, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, and several analysts recently lifted price targets or upgraded the stock. Shares were also noted as down 1.6% in the session, despite the upbeat operational and analyst backdrop.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 512,245 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 61,721 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 2.4% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $131,641,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 18,518 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $4,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. now owns 25,467 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $6,545,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $235,000. Investment House LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $270,000. Finally, Intrust Bank NA increased its position in Applied Materials by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 14,585 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,748,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on AMAT shares. HSBC started 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 on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-seven 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.14.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $406.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $382.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $322.58. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $153.47 and a twelve month high of $448.45. The stock has a market cap of $322.93 billion, a PE ratio of 38.21, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The firm'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, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.75 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a boost 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 dividend payout ratio is 17.28%.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported Q1 revenue of $7.91 billion, topping expectations, while non-GAAP EPS of $2.86 also beat estimates. Management’s next-quarter revenue guidance was stronger than analysts expected, pointing to continued AI-driven demand for semiconductor equipment and services. AMAT Q1 Deep Dive: AI Demand Drives Growth in Semiconductor Equipment and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on Applied Materials to $500 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside from the AI infrastructure buildout and the company’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment leadership.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted rising earnings estimates and historic gross margin strength, suggesting investors are optimistic that profit growth can continue as premium products and services benefit from strong chip demand. Surging Earnings Estimates Signal Upside for Applied Materials (AMAT) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials is drawing heavy investor attention and positive discussion around its international revenue trends, but these pieces appear more informational than immediate stock-moving catalysts. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly downgraded Applied Materials while upgrading Lam Research, which could temper enthusiasm despite the company’s strong fundamentals and may be contributing to pressure on the shares. Lam Research gets an upgrade, Applied Materials cut at Morgan Stanley

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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