North Dakota State Investment Board Makes New $7.07 Million Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board initiated a new position in Applied Materials, buying 27,507 shares worth about $7.07 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 80.56% of the company, while several firms also recently added to their AMAT stakes.
• Applied Materials reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates and raising its dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, even as analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 27,507 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,069,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,227 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,582 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $463.89.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $436.62 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $448.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $379.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.06. The firm has a market cap of $346.51 billion, a PE ratio of 41.00, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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 analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.28%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials posted record Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue expectations and lifting its outlook, with management citing strong AI infrastructure spending as a key growth driver. Applied Materials Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turned more bullish after the report, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and KeyCorp, reinforcing confidence in multi-year earnings growth. Applied Materials Sees Multi-Year AI Boom Driving Record Revenue And Growth Through 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted a durable AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, suggesting Applied Materials could sustain elevated demand and margins through 2027-2028. Krish Sankar Reaffirms Buy on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market backdrop is weaker, with major indexes down as Treasury yields and oil prices rise, which is adding headwinds for high-valuation tech and AI stocks. Stock Market Today: Dow Falls As Oil Prices, Yields Jump; Applied Materials, Nvidia, Cerebras Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the strong earnings report, the stock is slipping as investors rotate out after a sharp year-to-date rally, showing some concern that expectations may already be very high. Applied Materials slips despite record quarter and strong outlook (AMAT)

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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