Panagora Asset Management Inc. Has $56.55 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 45.8% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 220,031 shares worth about $56.5 million.
• Applied Materials continues to draw strong institutional and analyst support, with major funds increasing positions and multiple brokerages raising price targets and issuing Buy/Overweight ratings.
• The company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the latest quarter, and its stock has been trading near a 52-week high amid optimism around chip equipment demand and AI infrastructure.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 45.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,031 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 186,125 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $56,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $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 valued at $1,869,170,000 after purchasing an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,563,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $685,684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating on Applied Materials, saying investment in new chip supply remains strong and supporting the stock’s bullish momentum. Applied Materials and KLA Are Surging. Why You Should Buy the Stocks, Says This Analyst.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Applied Materials, lifting FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.20 and FY2027 to $16.29, while keeping a Buy rating. Applied Materials estimate revision
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Applied Materials as a top momentum and AI-beneficiary stock, with commentary pointing to strong May performance, heavy hedge fund ownership, and broad analyst support. Is Applied Materials (AMAT) A Good Stock to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also being fueled by a recent 52-week-high move and reports of continued rotation into chip equipment stocks, reinforcing the view that AMAT remains a favored AI infrastructure name. Why Did AMAT, AMPG, OSCR Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage today was largely repeated “great momentum stock” and “attracting investor attention” pieces, reflecting strong market interest rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Applied Materials (AMAT) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Insider Activity

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.86, for a total transaction of $1,247,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 136,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,901,331.18. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 53,896 shares of company stock valued at $27,135,121 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. UBS Group lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price target for the company. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.03.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $567.25 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $427.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $353.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.46 and a 52 week high of $569.95. The firm has a market cap of $450.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid 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%.

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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