VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New $124.98 Million Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 172,864 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $124,981,000. Applied Materials makes up about 0.7% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Financial Insights Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5.6% during the second quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 1,536 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 70,976.9% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 870,192,678 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $629,149,306,000 after buying an additional 868,968,380 shares in the last quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP now owns 851 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $615,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Trans Canada Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,347,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 206.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,976,000 after buying an additional 7,427 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven equipment demand remains the main catalyst. Growth in advanced packaging, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), along with accelerating global fab investment, is strengthening the outlook for Applied Materials’ equipment orders. AMAT Rides on AI-Led WFE Demand: Can it Sustain the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Raised forecasts have driven a major valuation re-rating. Although trailing-twelve-month revenue growth was only 7.8%, management reportedly increased its forecast twice between February and August as semiconductor demand expectations improved. That forward-growth story helps explain the stock’s roughly 180% one-year return. Why Did Applied Materials Stock Nearly Triple On Single-Digit Trailing Revenue Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations are improving. UBS projected strong potential appreciation for AMAT, while another analyst raised the fiscal 2027 EPS estimate, signaling continued confidence in earnings growth and semiconductor capital spending. UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Applied Materials FY2027 EPS Estimate for Applied Materials Boosted by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a key debate. Despite a recent pullback, AMAT has gained about 237% over five years, leaving investors questioning how much AI and semiconductor-cycle optimism is already reflected in the shares. Can Applied Materials Still Look Cheap After a 237% Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Industry-cycle risks have not disappeared. Optimism about a permanently stronger semiconductor cycle is tempered by potential memory-capacity imbalances, which could pressure chipmakers’ capital spending if supply expands faster than demand. SEMIs CEO Has Watched Four Decades of Chip Cycles

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AMAT. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Applied Materials from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $658.45.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $454.71 on Monday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $533.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $461.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $360.86 billion, a PE ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.82 and a 1 year high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders 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 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, SVP Timothy Deane sold 8,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 231,692 shares of company stock worth $146,114,059. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.