Nykredit A S Invests $201.77 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Nykredit A S purchased 279,075 Applied Materials shares worth approximately $201.8 million, making AMAT its 23rd-largest holding and 0.6% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 80.56% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $658.45. Applied Materials recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations, reporting $3.50 EPS and $9.12 billion in revenue, up 24.8% year over year.
• Applied Materials plans to develop a semiconductor research park in India as part of a long-term expansion strategy, though the decade-long project carries execution and capital-allocation risks. Insiders have also sold 86,821 shares worth about $59.6 million over the past 90 days.

Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 279,075 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $201,771,000. Applied Materials accounts for 0.6% of Nykredit A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 119.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 17,829,377 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $2,858,543,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $5,252,863,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $86,610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth about $1,512,287,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $700.00 price objective (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price objective on Applied Materials in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $658.45.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials plans to develop a semiconductor research park on a roughly 140-acre site in India, expanding its research-and-development footprint and integrating the country more deeply into its global operations. Applied Materials to invest $5 billion in India
• Positive Sentiment: The investment gives AMAT an early strategic position as India builds out domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Investors appear to view the project as a long-term growth option, potentially creating additional demand for Applied Materials’ equipment and services as fabrication capacity develops. Applied Materials Edged Higher Behind a $5 Billion India Buildout
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparison coverage continues to characterize Applied Materials as a relatively diversified and potentially safer wafer-fabrication-equipment investment than some peers, supported by AI-related semiconductor demand. However, the comparisons do not represent a new change in company fundamentals. AMAT vs. LRCX: Which WFE Stock is a Safer Bet Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: The India project is a decade-long commitment, so its financial benefits are likely to emerge gradually. The substantial investment also creates execution and capital-allocation risks if India’s semiconductor industry takes longer than expected to reach large-scale production.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $465,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,877,960. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. The trade was a 5.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 86,821 shares of company stock valued at $59,609,471 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $417.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $331.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.98, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company's 50 day moving average price is $501.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $465.68. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $183.83 and a 52 week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a global provider of materials engineering solutions used to manufacture semiconductors, displays and other advanced electronic products. The company develops and supplies equipment, services and software that help customers build and improve the performance of chips and display panels.

Its semiconductor products support processes including deposition, etch, patterning, inspection, metrology and materials modification. Applied Materials also provides equipment and services for display manufacturing, including technologies used in producing liquid-crystal and organic light-emitting diode displays, as well as solutions for adjacent markets such as solar and other specialty applications.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Applied Materials serves semiconductor and display manufacturers worldwide through operations, customer-support centers and research and development activities across major technology-producing regions.

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