Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Acquired by Groupe la Francaise

Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 339.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 154,898 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 119,687 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $52,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 531 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. One Day In July LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $712,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Chip stocks led a technology-sector rally, improving sentiment toward Applied Materials and other semiconductor-equipment makers. The move reflects renewed investor appetite for AI-related hardware and infrastructure exposure. Chip Stocks Boost Tech-Led Rebound Rally at Software’s Expense
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ participation in the AI Materials Foundry could strengthen long-term demand expectations for its wafer-fabrication equipment. The company’s recent earnings beat, including higher-than-expected revenue and earnings, provides additional fundamental support. Applied Materials Stock May Not Be a Bargain Despite AI Materials Foundry News
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy online searches for AMAT indicate elevated investor attention, but the article offers no new fundamental development or change to the company’s outlook. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Despite its pullback, AMAT may not be a clear bargain after a multiyear gain, potentially limiting upside unless AI-driven demand accelerates enough to justify its valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor shares have faced concerns about stronger Chinese competition and whether AI-related demand can remain sustainable. Weakness and growth concerns at peer KLA add to caution around semiconductor-equipment stocks. Semiconductor Stocks Trade Down

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $501.77 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $549.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $429.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $154.46 and a 1 year high of $739.67. The company has a market capitalization of $398.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.57.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 36.97%. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $735.22, for a total value of $14,704,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,599,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,236,570.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total value of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $599.19.

About Applied Materials

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.