455,260 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Acquired by Danske Bank A S

Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 455,260 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $93,210,000. Danske Bank A S owned about 0.06% of Applied Materials at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 1,452.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 58,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $11,890,000 after purchasing an additional 54,333 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 75,540.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,782 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,640,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 55,442 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $11,351,000 after buying an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 5,200 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.46.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, with a low forward payout ratio and long-term dividend growth — signals management confidence and returns cash to shareholders. As Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%, Should You Buy AMAT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry pieces position AMAT as a key beneficiary of an AI-driven semiconductor cycle (memory, logic, tooling), reinforcing growth expectations for equipment makers. Applied Materials: The AI Gold Rush Everyone Is Missing
• Positive Sentiment: Research/technology-focused coverage highlights AMAT’s process node relevance (gate-all-around) and upgrades its buy thesis — technical roadmap upside can drive order cycles. Applied Materials: The Gate-All-Around Inflection Point Justifies A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT announced a collaboration with Synopsys and NVIDIA to speed quantum chemistry simulations for chip R&D — could shorten materials development cycles and improve competitive positioning. Applied Materials Ties Quantum Simulations To AI Chip R&D Story
• Positive Sentiment: Investor mentions: billionaire investor Ken Fisher included AMAT among notable moves for 2026, providing a retail/market sentiment tailwind. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Billionaire Ken Fisher Remains Positive on Semis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the dividend yield remains low (~0.6%) despite the hike and multiple dividend-focused write-ups reiterate yield/context rather than changing the growth story. Applied Materials Dividend Growth Adds New Dimension to AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zeroed out and shouldn’t be read as a material new signal today. Short interest data (market feed)

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $336.85 and a 200-day moving average of $265.80. The company has a market capitalization of $279.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $395.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,051,063.65. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189 over the last three months. Company 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.