Meeder Asset Management Inc. Has $13.82 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management increased its Applied Materials stake by 11.5% in the first quarter, bringing its holding to 40,435 shares worth about $13.82 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat, with Applied Materials receiving mostly Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $593.84; several firms also recently raised their targets.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable on September 10.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,435 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,167 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 0.8% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $13,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $86,610,000 after buying an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 5,984,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,537,913,000 after acquiring an additional 2,635,284 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $502.00 to $647.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $529.66 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $739.67. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $533.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $414.11. The company has a market cap of $420.53 billion, a PE ratio of 49.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials's quarterly 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the company’s growth outlook and AI-driven demand. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials CEO comments reinforcing the AI investment thesis may help support longer-term sentiment around the stock. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that AMAT has been drawing increased attention from investors, but the piece was mainly a stock-screening update rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary suggested Applied Materials may be trading above fair value after a strong multi-year run, which could limit upside even if earnings remain solid. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: A broad semiconductor selloff is pressuring AMAT along with peers like AMD and Intel, as the market rotates out of chip stocks and into other areas. Article link

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% 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 worth $169,654,805. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company 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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