Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Stock Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,103,271 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 219,045 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.6% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,075,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $515.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $740.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $632.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.25, for a total transaction of $3,594,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 128,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,637,780.25. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.56, for a total transaction of $394,806.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,732,245.36. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,225 shares of company stock worth $4,454,181. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials’ planned move to raise its Besi stake to 20% is strengthening its exposure to hybrid bonding, a packaging technology that could benefit from rising AI-chip complexity. TIKR describes a bullish long-term scenario, with a potential price target of approximately $806 versus a roughly $628 Wall Street target. Applied Materials hybrid bonding analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a quarter with 51% growth and argues that AMAT trades at about 23 times forward earnings, a valuation that may look reasonable if AI-related semiconductor-equipment demand remains strong. The company also recently exceeded earnings and revenue estimates and issued fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $3.82–$4.22. Applied Materials growth and valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: AMAT is attracting unusually high investor attention, but the Zacks reports primarily review the company’s prospects rather than identify a new fundamental catalyst. Zacks Applied Materials investor attention report
• Negative Sentiment: Compared with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Applied Materials has shown a flatter revenue trajectory and less consistent quarter-over-quarter growth. That comparison may reinforce concerns that AMAT’s elevated valuation already discounts substantial AI-driven demand. Applied Materials versus Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Applied Materials Trading Down 7.5%

AMAT opened at $390.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $739.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $457.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $443.63. The firm has a market cap of $309.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.60.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.79 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a technology company that supplies equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays. Its products help customers fabricate the integrated circuits and other components used in computers, mobile devices, data centers, automobiles and a range of connected technologies.

The company’s offerings include systems for materials engineering, wafer fabrication, inspection and process control, along with equipment and services designed to improve manufacturing productivity and yield.