Plato Investment Management Ltd Has $3.70 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 38.9% in Q4, selling 9,121 shares and leaving it with 14,309 shares worth about $3.7 million.
• Applied Materials has been getting bullish analyst attention, including new Buy ratings and higher price targets as firms cite the company as a beneficiary of AI-driven semiconductor spending.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, and the stock has climbed to around its 52-week high after trading up 6.0%.

Plato Investment Management Ltd decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 38.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,309 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,121 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% in the fourth 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. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% 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, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, calling Applied Materials a key beneficiary of AI semiconductor spending. Seaport Research Initiates Coverage of Applied Materials (AMAT) with Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2027 earnings estimates, reinforcing expectations for long-term earnings growth. BofA Remains Bullish on Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary suggests Applied Materials could post an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which is keeping sentiment constructive. Applied Materials (AMAT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles note the stock had fallen more than the broader market in the prior session, but those moves appear secondary to the stronger analyst-driven optimism. Here's Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $375.90.

Applied Materials Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $435.18 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.47 and a 52-week high of $438.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $371.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.19. The company has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.83%.

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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