New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 46,377 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,031,105 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 46,377 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $211,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 150.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $267.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $344.04. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.36.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 24.67%.The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after citing a likely “significant acceleration” in WFE upgrades, lifting the stock’s buy-side momentum. Mizuho upgrades Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target to $380 (from $285) and maintained an Overweight rating; Insider commentary also flags AMAT as a Goldman Sachs top semiconductor pick—supporting a re-rating narrative. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gains Analyst Support as Multi-Year Semiconductor Tailwinds Take Shape
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a “shortage that can’t be met,” reinforcing expectations of strong demand and near-term revenue visibility. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst pieces and market write-ups argue AMAT is positioned to “dominate” in 2026 on improving semiconductor cycles and technology intensity—adding to bullish conviction among investors. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in this feed show anomalous/zero values and NaN changes, so they don’t provide reliable signals about bearish positioning right now. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader roundup stories and investor-interest reports (Zacks, 24/7 Wall St., Barchart) highlight heavy attention and analyst research calls but add less new, market-moving facts. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $285.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. The trade was a 12.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials 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.