USS Investment Management Ltd Cuts Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in Applied Materials by 12.0%, selling 21,403 shares, and now holds 156,281 shares valued at $22.7 million.
• Several hedge funds increased their positions in Applied Materials, including Ameriprise Financial, which raised its holdings by 23.6% to over 7.8 million shares.
• Applied Materials recently reported a quarterly EPS of $2.48, exceeding estimates and showcasing a 7.7% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 12.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 156,281 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 21,403 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $22,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 91.5% during the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $1.45 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $163.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,311,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,388,249. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.77. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $215.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The company's 50-day moving average is $179.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.71.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $193.88.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.