Voya Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Applied Materials by 11.2%, selling 71,791 shares and owning approximately 0.07% of the company worth $82.7 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• A number of institutional investors, including Ameriprise Financial and Price T Rowe Associates, increased their positions in Applied Materials, highlighting strong interest in the company amid market fluctuations.
• Applied Materials recently posted earnings that exceeded expectations, reporting $2.48 EPS against an estimate of $2.36, with a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year.

Voya Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 570,063 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 71,791 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Applied Materials worth $82,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,860,838 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,140,836,000 after buying an additional 1,502,995 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 7,656,034 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,038,504,000 after buying an additional 1,046,635 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,085,600,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,189,402 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,043,326,000 after buying an additional 1,235,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,573,673 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $808,853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,691,428 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $167.80 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $215.70. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.72. The stock has a market cap of $133.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.77.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 21.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wolfe Research lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $192.92.

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.

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