William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $9.04 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Applied Materials delivered strong fiscal Q2 results, reporting $7.91 billion in revenue and $2.86 in earnings per share, both above analyst estimates. Revenue rose 11.4% year over year, underscoring continued strength in semiconductor equipment demand.
• Management raised guidance for Q3 2026, now expecting about $8.95 billion in revenue and EPS of $3.16 to $3.56. The improved outlook suggests ongoing momentum in chip spending and business execution.
• Institutional ownership remains high despite some portfolio trimming, with William Blair Investment Management cutting its AMAT stake by 21% in the fourth quarter while still holding $9.04 million worth of shares. Separately, analysts remain generally bullish, with multiple firms boosting price targets and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 21.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,164 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 9,336 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its stake in Applied Materials by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after buying an additional 12,132 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,531,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $45,700,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials reported fiscal Q2 sales of $7.91 billion and net income of $2.81 billion, topping expectations and showing continued solid execution. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: The company lifted Q3 2026 revenue guidance to about $8.95 billion, suggesting management sees ongoing strength in semiconductor spending. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials expanded its AI packaging and process innovation efforts, including new collaboration with partners such as Broadcom and SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions, which could support longer-term growth in advanced chip packaging. Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Up 11.8% After Raising Q3 Outlook And Expanding AI Packaging Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: The newly announced SCREEN partnership at the EPIC Center adds another innovation partner focused on advanced wafer cleaning, which may help improve yields and accelerate next-generation chip production. Applied Materials Partners with SCREEN To Bring Advanced Wafer Cleaning Technologies to EPIC Center
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider filing showed CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares, but the transaction was small relative to his remaining stake and is unlikely to materially affect the stock. Applied Materials, Inc. CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares
• Negative Sentiment: A broad market commentary piece warned that momentum stocks can reverse after strong runs, which may temper enthusiasm for recently extended winners like AMAT. Intel, AMD, and Other Momentum Stocks Look Unstoppable. Look Again.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research cut Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Mizuho raised their target price on Applied Materials from $410.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $465.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 268 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.22, for a total transaction of $116,370.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,461.60. This trade represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $454.89 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $456.78. The firm's 50 day moving average is $391.25 and its 200 day moving average is $329.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $361.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.71, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. 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%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

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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