Rathbones Group PLC Sells 29,087 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC reduced its Applied Materials stake by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 29,087 shares and leaving it with 104,101 shares valued at about $26.8 million.
• Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.86 and revenue of $7.91 billion, both above analyst estimates, while also issuing Q3 2026 guidance above current-year expectations.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share from $0.46, and analysts remain broadly positive, with 27 Buy ratings and an average price target of $465.14.

Rathbones Group PLC cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 104,101 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 29,087 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $26,753,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,046,057,000 after acquiring an additional 10,305,182 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,869,170,000 after acquiring an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,751 shares during the period. Coatue Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $685,684,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,247,838,000 after acquiring an additional 3,280,730 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $427.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $339.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $385.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $325.31. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.47 and a 12-month high of $448.45.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 17.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. KGI Securities raised shares of Applied Materials to an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $410.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.14.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value 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. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,003 shares of company stock valued at $2,678,139 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced Broadcom as an EPIC innovation partner, deepening its role in advanced packaging R&D for AI chips and systems. Applied Materials Announces Broadcom as EPIC Innovation Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted AMAT’s strong Q1 results, including revenue and earnings beats plus upbeat guidance, reinforcing the view that AI spending is lifting semiconductor equipment demand. AMAT Q1 Deep Dive: AI Demand Drives Growth in Semiconductor Equipment and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was named to a Zacks Rank #1 momentum list, suggesting analysts see continued near-term strength in the stock’s trend. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for May 20th
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles compared AMAT favorably with peers like Lam Research, but these were mostly valuation and strategy discussions rather than new company-specific developments. Lam Research vs. Applied Materials: Which AI Chip Stock Has the Edge?
• Negative Sentiment: AMAT was mentioned among semiconductor names that fell during a broader sector sell-off tied to Samsung labor-strike concerns and TSMC-related supply-chain worries, which could create short-term pressure. MACOM, Applied Materials, and Photronics Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know

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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