Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 212,004 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 63.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 544,306 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 212,004 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $186,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $239,000. Sculptor Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $101,785,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth approximately $1,873,000. Ardmore Road Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,470,000. Finally, Styrax Capital LP bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $68,358,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $570.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Applied Materials from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Bank of America raised their price target on Applied Materials from $540.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $593.84.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $536.25 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $425.76 billion, a PE ratio of 50.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $544.21 and a 200 day moving average of $424.08.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.28, for a total transaction of $25,264,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 356,642 shares in the company, valued at $180,204,069.76. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total value of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. The trade was a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 278,088 shares of company stock worth $169,654,805 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is still viewed favorably versus a peer in advanced packaging, with commentary highlighting its AI-related packaging exposure, broad chipmaking portfolio, and high-margin services as reasons it may be a safer long-term bet. AMAT vs. Q: Which Advanced Packaging Stock is a Safer Bet Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to point to AI-led semiconductor demand, with Applied Materials repeatedly cited as one of the stocks benefiting from ongoing chip investment and stronger equipment spending. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on August 13, and recent previews suggest analysts expect another double-digit earnings increase, which can support sentiment ahead of the print. What to Expect From Applied Materials’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s short-interest update appears to be data-noisy, showing zero shares outstanding and no meaningful days-to-cover signal, so it is unlikely to be a real trading driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials remains part of a broader semiconductor sector that is experiencing profit-taking and valuation-driven consolidation after a powerful AI rally, which is weighing on sentiment across the group. Semiconductor Crossroads: Healthy Consolidation or Deeper Repricing?
• Negative Sentiment: The pullback in semiconductor names suggests investors are locking in gains and reassessing high expectations, which is pressuring AMAT along with the rest of the sector despite solid fundamentals.

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.