IFM Investors Pty Ltd Grows Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 166,069 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,409 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $56,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rexford Capital Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.0% in the first quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 5,490 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,876,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Severin Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $236,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 104,126 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $35,589,000 after purchasing an additional 3,929 shares during the period. Element Squared LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $2,140,000. Finally, Eagle Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter worth about $723,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $723.00 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $486.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $384.29. 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 fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $739.67. The company has a market capitalization of $574.03 billion, a PE ratio of 67.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials’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 analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. 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 0.3%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Bank of America all turned more bullish on AMAT, with multiple price-target hikes and fresh upside calls ahead of earnings, reinforcing the view that demand for chip-making equipment remains strong. Why Applied Materials Shares Are Surging Monday
• Positive Sentiment: The stock has been one of the biggest winners in the semiconductor space, with June marking its best monthly rally since 1975 as AI infrastructure spending lifted estimates and investor sentiment. Stock Of The Day: Is This The Top For Applied Materials?
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Applied Materials, signaling confidence that earnings growth can continue beyond the current year. Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles note the stock is technically very extended and “overbought,” which suggests momentum is strong but also raises the risk of a near-term pullback after the huge run-up. Stock Of The Day: Is This The Top For Applied Materials?
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials was also added to the Russell Top 50 Index, which can boost visibility and passive fund ownership, though the impact is more about flows than fundamentals. Applied Materials (AMAT) Joins Russell Top 50 After Leaving Value Indexes

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AMAT. HSBC began coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial set a $575.00 price target on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $575.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.56.

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.