Nykredit A S Buys New Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 326,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $235,821,000. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.7% of Nykredit A S’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 128 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total value of $3,594,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This trade represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares in the company, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 231,692 shares of company stock valued at $146,114,059. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $675 to $695 and reaffirmed a Buy rating, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. UBS raises Applied Materials price target
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals remain strong: Applied Materials recently reported record revenue, earnings above consensus and higher guidance. Erste Group Bank also increased its FY2027 earnings estimate to $18.56 per share from $17.13, reflecting expectations for continued semiconductor-equipment demand. Applied Materials stock performance and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term growth drivers include artificial-intelligence chip production, advanced-node manufacturing, advanced packaging and factory-capacity expansion. Applied Materials’ broad equipment portfolio and shareholder returns through stock repurchases add support to the investment case. Should investors buy, sell or hold AMAT stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry forecasts point to expanding semiconductor wafer-inspection demand driven by AI, electric vehicles, foundries and advanced packaging. However, the report covers the broader market and does not guarantee near-term Applied Materials revenue growth. Semiconductor wafer inspection equipment market outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and macroeconomic pressures are weighing on the stock. After a substantial year-to-date advance, investors appear to be taking profits and demanding stronger results to justify AMAT’s elevated earnings multiple. Rising Treasury yields and crude oil prices have also pressured semiconductor stocks by increasing borrowing costs and reducing appetite for high-growth, high-multiple shares. Semiconductor and technology stocks decline amid rising yields

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $438.46 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $347.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $541.33 and its 200-day moving average is $460.06.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Mizuho decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $590.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 target price (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $600.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $658.45.

Applied Materials Company 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.