Nuveen LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC increased its Applied Materials stake by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 672,992 shares and bringing its total holding to 7.67 million shares worth about $1.97 billion. Applied Materials now represents roughly 0.5% of Nuveen’s portfolio.
• Applied Materials posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $7.91 billion versus $7.68 billion estimated. Revenue rose 11.4% year over year, and the company guided Q3 2026 EPS to a range of $3.16 to $3.56.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and 27 analysts rating the stock a Buy. The consensus view is a “Moderate Buy” with a target price of $483.03, while Applied Materials also recently announced a $0.53 quarterly dividend.

Nuveen LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,674,424 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 672,992 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 0.5% of Nuveen LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.97% of Applied Materials worth $1,972,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 11.2%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $552.64 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $557.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $422.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $351.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $438.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Truist Financial set a $575.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $483.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total value of $1,247,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop and helping reinforce the stock’s upside momentum. Top 5 Strong Buy Stocks to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, citing continued investment in new chip supply and AI infrastructure demand. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is being highlighted as a key beneficiary of high-bandwidth memory and broader AI hardware spending, which supports long-term semiconductor equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is One Of the Best High-Bandwidth Memory Stocks To Buy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new $500 million Singapore manufacturing expansion is being viewed as a strategic move to support AI chip demand and expand capacity for future growth. Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

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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