Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Sells 305,198 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 68.1%, selling 305,198 shares, leaving it with 143,195 shares valued at approximately $20.78 million.
• Recent activity saw other investors significantly increase their positions in Applied Materials, with Runnymede Capital Advisors raising its stake by 972.2%.
• In its latest quarterly earnings, Applied Materials reported earnings per share of $2.48, exceeding analyst expectations, while also showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 7.7%.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 68.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 143,195 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 305,198 shares during the quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $20,780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. increased 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5,325.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $163.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.70. The firm has a market cap of $130.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.77. 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 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $215.70.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.96% and a net margin of 23.88%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $205.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were 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 owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.