Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Trims Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management cut its Applied Materials stake by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 60,756 shares and leaving it with 237,937 shares worth about $61.1 million.
• Sentiment around Applied Materials (AMAT) remains constructive: Seaport Research started coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 price target, while several other analysts also raised targets or reiterated bullish views.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations and raised its dividend to $0.53 per share, while also guiding Q2 2026 EPS to $2.44-$2.84.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 237,937 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 60,756 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $61,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 48.7% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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 research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, March 27th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $375.90.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $435.18 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.47 and a fifty-two week high of $438.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $345.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.66. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $371.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.19.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. The company's 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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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