Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Raises Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1,452.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,333 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.4% of Mizuho Markets Cayman LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,890,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.46.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $346.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $274.73 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $335.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $264.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $395.95.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,753,615. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total value of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Corporate 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.