Nordea Investment Management AB Has $580.55 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Nordea Investment Management AB cut its stake in Applied Materials by 9.1% in Q4, selling 225,201 shares and now holds 2,242,015 shares worth about $580.55 million (≈0.28% of the company).
• Applied Materials beat Q4 estimates with $2.38 EPS vs. $2.21 expected and $7.01B revenue, issued Q2 FY2026 guidance of $2.44–$2.84 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53.
• Analysts are bullish—several firms raised price targets (some to $450) and the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a MarketBeat price target near $363.46.

Nordea Investment Management AB decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,242,015 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 225,201 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.28% of Applied Materials worth $580,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 7.0% in the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. grew its position in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Welch Group LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.0% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $357.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $283.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $340.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The business's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share 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 issued 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 yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $363.46.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied announced a 15% increase to its quarterly dividend (to $0.53/share), with the next payment in June — a shareholder-friendly move that supports the stock after its strong run and signals confidence in cash flow. Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%
• Positive Sentiment: Applied is listed in actively managed dividend and thematic ETFs that have seen large inflows, which can provide steady buying demand from fund flows. Active ETFs Surge Past Passive, and These Are in the Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly review pieces position AMAT among semiconductor-equipment winners for the quarter — earnings beat and revenue roughly in line — but note mixed revenue trends across peers; these analyses help frame valuation expectations but don’t change near-term fundamentals. Winners And Losers Of Q4: Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT Vs The Rest Of The Semiconductor Manufacturing Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage of peers (e.g., Lam Research) highlights strong AI-driven capex but raises questions about sustainability — this is a sector-level readthrough that could influence investor sentiment for AMAT over 2026. Can Lam Research's Systems Business Sustain Growth Amid AI Capex Boom?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest notices for AMAT contain implausible/zero values (0 shares, NaN increases), indicating data reporting issues rather than a clear short-squeeze signal; treat short-interest readings with caution until corrected.
• Negative Sentiment: Macroeconomic volatility is weighing on market breadth: oil prices and U.S. Treasury yields spiking have helped push major indices below technical support, which typically pressures cyclicals and capex-exposed names like AMAT. Dow Jones Breaks As Oil Prices, Yields Soar, But Then Trump Mulls 'Winding Down' Iran War
• Negative Sentiment: Sector volatility shown by peers (e.g., Micron moving lower despite strong results) reflects investor caution in semiconductors — good company-specific news for AMAT may still be offset by risk-off flows. Dow Jones Futures: Oil Backs Off $100; Micron Skids Despite Blowout Earnings

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Applied Materials

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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