PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Purchases New Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators opened a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter, buying 11,448 shares valued at about $2.94 million.
• Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.86 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $7.91 billion versus $7.68 billion expected. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46.
• Despite positive fundamentals and strong analyst support, there has been notable insider selling, including a recent 50,000-share sale by executive Prabu G. Raja, while Wall Street maintains a Moderate Buy consensus with a $470.13 average price target.

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,448 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,942,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 82.2% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,512,000 after buying an additional 12,132 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 17,288 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $1,531,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $45,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $453.01 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $510.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $408.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $342.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $359.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.91%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials continues to benefit from AI-related demand and a deeper push into advanced chip packaging, including its completed acquisition of ASMPT NEXX and expanded collaboration with SCREEN Semiconductor, which could support future growth in semiconductor equipment. Applied Materials Deepens AI Chip Packaging Push As Valuation Stretches
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings results beat estimates, with stronger revenue and EPS, and management’s guidance plus recent analyst price-target increases continue to reinforce the bullish longer-term view. MarketBeat Applied Materials Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: TipRanks noted insider trading activity in AMAT as part of a broader weekend update, adding to investor attention but not necessarily changing the fundamental outlook. Rigetti, McDonald’s, Applied Materials, GM, Rocket Lab Insiders Stir Buzz
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales by CFO Brice Hill and executive Prabu G. Raja may have pressured shares, as investors often view heavy insider selling cautiously even when the company’s outlook remains solid. Applied Materials CFO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly sold off after the strong jobs report and broader chip-sector weakness tied to the AVGO earnings overhang, which appears to be dragging AMAT lower with the group. Applied Materials, Lam Research, and Nova Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,204,069.76. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 1,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $507,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,944,800. This represents a 4.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,896 shares of company stock worth $27,135,121. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $470.13.

Applied Materials 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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