Simplicity Wealth LLC Purchases 2,063 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 40.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,123 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,063 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,779,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,731,523,000 after acquiring an additional 330,197 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of 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 period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,470,835 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,947,891,000 after purchasing an additional 373,012 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,858,543,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 17.1% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 1,558,749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $645.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $740.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $530.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $659.83.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $496.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $393.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.77, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $154.46 and a one year high of $739.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $565.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $449.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 30.05% and a return on equity of 38.02%. The firm had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.65 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.28%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was included in Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum list, reflecting continued favorable technical and fundamental sentiment after its substantial 2026 rally. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for August 19th
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst upgrade recently supported AMAT, while longer-term bullish arguments point to AI-driven semiconductor demand, a broad equipment portfolio and strong international revenue opportunities. Applied Materials Trading Higher Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Applied Materials had surged about 98% in 2026 and 31% over three months, making it a major beneficiary of the AI-capital-spending trade but also leaving the stock vulnerable to profit-taking and shifts in expectations. Applied Materials Rockets 98% in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on AI-related growth and semiconductor demand, but AMAT’s premium valuation requires continued execution and strong forecasts to justify further gains. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold AMAT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure is concentrated across chip-equipment names, including Applied Materials, Lam Research and Teradyne. Because the broader market is rising while the group sells off, investors appear concerned about the durability or timing of AI-related capital expenditures rather than interest rates alone. What Is Prompting the Selloff in Chip Equipment Stocks?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether AMAT is “priced for perfection,” with its elevated earnings multiple increasing the risk of a sharper reaction to any slowdown in AI spending or semiconductor demand. Applied Materials Is Priced For Perfection

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at $24,326,071.43. This trade represents a 18.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were 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 owned 134,631 shares in the company, valued at $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.