LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Has $19.42 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI cut its stake in Applied Materials by 7.9%, now owning 75,583 shares valued at $19,424,000, which represents 1.8% of its portfolio and is its 16th largest holding.
• Applied Materials recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21; revenue $7.01B vs. $6.88B), set Q2 2026 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, has seen analyst price-target upgrades amid AI/wafer‑fab demand, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53.
• Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares worth about $4.48M last quarter (including sales by the CAO and CFO), while institutional ownership remains high at 80.56%.

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,583 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 6,440 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.8% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investor letters point to improving wafer‑fab spending visibility, which supports AMAT’s order outlook and medium‑term revenue cadence. Applied Materials (AMAT) Surged on Improving Wafer-Fab Spending Visibility
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple fund manager letters and coverage highlight strong AI‑chip demand and resilient operating performance at Applied, supporting upside to margins and backlog. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Gained on Strong AI Chip Demand and Resilient Operating Performance
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. policy initiatives and a large investment consortium aimed at semiconductor, energy and critical‑minerals supply chains increase the addressable market for equipment suppliers like AMAT over the long run. US Semiconductor Push Adds New Thread To Applied Materials Story
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains constructive in recent coverage, with analysts and bulls pointing to AMAT’s strong fundamentals and reasonable forward multiple given secular AI/capex tailwinds. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Applied Materials (AMAT): Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several “is AMAT a buy?” and trending‑stock pieces summarize bullish theses (valuation, AI exposure) but contain broader market commentary rather than new company-specific catalysts. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports show a large reported “increase” in short interest for March but the published figures appear erroneous (zero shares / NaN); treat that data point cautiously until corrected.
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting the positives, broader tech/ETF outflows and profit‑taking in high‑beta tech names are applying near‑term pressure on AMAT shares despite strong underlying demand signals.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $369.34 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.54. The stock has a market cap of $293.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $395.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $363.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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