Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 69.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 532,010 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,183,232 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $384,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,947,891,000 after purchasing an additional 373,012 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,688,232 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,746,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,749 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $527.48 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $557.69 and a 200 day moving average of $437.00. The stock has a market cap of $418.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.53, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The business’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 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares in the company, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total transaction of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. This represents a 4.06% 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 ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI and semiconductor demand remain major tailwinds. Citi analysts identified Applied Materials as a top pick following a semiconductor selloff, arguing that the AI upcycle is still in its early stages. AMAT supplies deposition, etch, inspection and packaging equipment needed to manufacture advanced AI chips. Citi Analysts See Golden Opportunity in Semiconductor Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are positioned for earnings growth. Wall Street expects year-over-year earnings improvement when Applied Materials reports on Aug. 13. Analysts and financial commentators point to growing demand for memory, logic and advanced packaging equipment, while the consensus price target cited in recent coverage implies meaningful upside. The company’s latest reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue estimates. Applied Materials Reports Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is broadly favorable but not unanimous. Several reports describe AMAT as a Buy and highlight potential upside, but Erste Group Bank AG downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold. The mixed recommendations may limit enthusiasm after the stock’s recent rebound.
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry’s disclosed short position is pressuring AI-related stocks. Burry has reportedly bet against Applied Materials and other AI-linked semiconductor names while warning of a potential 1987-style market reversal. His comments have increased concern that elevated AI valuations and semiconductor momentum could unwind. Applied Materials Faces Fresh Scrutiny After Michael Burry Short Bet
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings create near-term event risk. AMAT has rallied sharply from its late-July low, raising the bar for the upcoming report. Even an earnings beat could trigger profit-taking if guidance or AI-related demand fails to exceed elevated expectations.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $603.23.

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.