Generate Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Generate Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 36,882 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,606,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% during the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $1,531,000. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 82,296 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $21,149,000 after buying an additional 3,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 223,211 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,700,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target on Applied Materials to $710 from $550 and kept a Buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the semiconductor equipment maker’s outlook. A Growing Supply Gap Has Analysts Eyeing Applied Materials (AMAT)
• Positive Sentiment: Reuters reported that Applied Materials signed a long-term deal with EssilorLuxottica to develop augmented-reality display technology and AI glasses, expanding its opportunity in emerging wearable and AI-related markets. Applied Materials (AMAT) and EssilorLuxottica Sign Long-Term Deal, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says AI demand may help justify AMAT’s premium valuation, with investors focusing on the company’s role in semiconductor and AI infrastructure spending. Applied Materials Is Now More Expensive Than Its Dot-Com Era Peak. AI Demand Justifies the AMAT Stock Valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares, a routine filing that may draw attention but does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles highlighted concerns that AMAT’s valuation is becoming stretched, which could limit near-term upside if growth expectations cool. Applied Materials Stock Looks Pricey—Can AI Demand Justify the Rally?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $520.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $415.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price target on the stock. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $640.18 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $455.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $368.31. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $641.18. The company has a market cap of $508.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.11, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.91%.

Applied Materials Company 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.