Versor Investments LP Reduces Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Posted by Lindsey Winhoffer on May 14th, 2026

Versor Investments LP reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 40.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,067 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,433 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $531,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after purchasing an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,877,672 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,046,057,000 after purchasing an additional 10,305,182 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,520,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,563,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583,751 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 10,978,990 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,247,838,000 after purchasing an additional 3,280,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,552,132 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,160,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,911 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 $436.61 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $346.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.69, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $375.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.47 and a 12 month high of $448.45.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. The trade was a 12.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $384.52.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Applied Materials

Key Applied Materials News

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

Positive Sentiment: Citigroup reportedly raised its price target on Applied Materials, adding to a cluster of analyst upgrades that point to confidence in the company’s AI-chip exposure and earnings outlook. Citi massively revamps Applied Materials stock price target
Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting strong demand in DRAM and logic, with Applied Materials’ semiconductor systems business benefiting from foundry and AI infrastructure spending ahead of earnings. AMAT’s Q2 Results to Benefit From Traction in DRAM and Logic
Positive Sentiment: New coverage and commentary continue to frame AMAT as a key AI infrastructure winner, with articles and TV mentions emphasizing a semiconductor equipment shortage and Applied Materials’ deepening role in chip manufacturing. How Applied Materials (AMAT) Is Deepening Its Role in AI Chip Manufacturing
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching Thursday’s earnings closely, with several previews suggesting the stock could make a big move depending on whether results and guidance confirm the AI-driven rally. Dear Applied Materials Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for May 14
Negative Sentiment: One broader market warning from a top chartist said U.S. tech stocks are at their highest concentration since the 2000 bubble, a reminder that AMAT’s recent strength could face valuation and sentiment risk if the AI trade cools. Wall Street’s Top Chartist Warns US Tech Stocks Now At Highest Concentration Since the 2000 Bubble

About Applied Materials

(Free Report)

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.