46,974 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Purchased by Martin Currie Ltd.

Key Points

• Martin Currie Ltd. has made a new investment in Applied Materials, acquiring 46,974 shares valued at approximately $6.82 million in the first quarter, signaling strong institutional interest in the manufacturing equipment provider.
• Applied Materials reported notable financial growth with a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.48, surpassing analysts' expectations, and a revenue of $7.30 billion, reflecting a 7.7% increase compared to the prior year.
• As of now, 80.56% of Applied Materials' stock is owned by institutional investors, indicating significant institutional confidence in the company’s performance and future prospects.

Martin Currie Ltd. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 46,974 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,817,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 972.2% in the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.84.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $0.95 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.58. 3,245,383 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,389,716. The stock has a market cap of $130.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $184.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.42. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $215.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.93%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.