Silvant Capital Management LLC Has $5.54 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Silvant Capital Management cut its stake in Applied Materials by 80.6% in the third quarter, selling 112,190 shares and retaining 27,075 shares valued at $5.543 million.
• Large institutions piled in: Capital Research increased its holding 225.4% to 14.88M shares ($3.046B), UBS raised its stake 617.2% to 9.13M shares, and Norges Bank opened a ~ $1.6B position, leaving institutional ownership around 80.6%.
• Applied Materials beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.38 vs. $2.21 expected; revenue $7.01B), gave Q2 EPS guidance of $2.44–$2.84, and raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, while analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $363.46.

Silvant Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 80.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,075 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 112,190 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors grew 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 purchasing an additional 10,305,182 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $1,604,002,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 13,564,120 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,483,183,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700,349 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,563,376,000 after buying an additional 3,583,751 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $430.00 price target on Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.46.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.08, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business's 50-day moving average price is $336.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $395.95.

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, beating 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 analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, with a low forward payout ratio and long-term dividend growth — signals management confidence and returns cash to shareholders. As Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%, Should You Buy AMAT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry pieces position AMAT as a key beneficiary of an AI-driven semiconductor cycle (memory, logic, tooling), reinforcing growth expectations for equipment makers. Applied Materials: The AI Gold Rush Everyone Is Missing
• Positive Sentiment: Research/technology-focused coverage highlights AMAT’s process node relevance (gate-all-around) and upgrades its buy thesis — technical roadmap upside can drive order cycles. Applied Materials: The Gate-All-Around Inflection Point Justifies A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT announced a collaboration with Synopsys and NVIDIA to speed quantum chemistry simulations for chip R&D — could shorten materials development cycles and improve competitive positioning. Applied Materials Ties Quantum Simulations To AI Chip R&D Story
• Positive Sentiment: Investor mentions: billionaire investor Ken Fisher included AMAT among notable moves for 2026, providing a retail/market sentiment tailwind. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Billionaire Ken Fisher Remains Positive on Semis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the dividend yield remains low (~0.6%) despite the hike and multiple dividend-focused write-ups reiterate yield/context rather than changing the growth story. Applied Materials Dividend Growth Adds New Dimension to AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zeroed out and shouldn’t be read as a material new signal today. Short interest data (market feed)

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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