Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT Shares Purchased by iA Global Asset Management Inc.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,402 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,230 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 150.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Susquehanna upgraded Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $385.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $273.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.89.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $318.79 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $333.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $252.78 billion, a PE ratio of 36.73, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.47.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.06. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.67% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst target increases from major firms signal upside expectations — Needham raised its target to $390 and KeyBanc raised its target to $380, citing AMAT’s positioning for memory/AI-related capacity growth and vertical scaling potential. Needham Increases AMAT Target to $390 KeyBanc Raises AMAT Target to $380
• Positive Sentiment: Display business rebound: Q4 display revenues rose ~68% driven by advanced systems, improved pricing and stronger OLED demand — a sign AMAT’s display segment may reaccelerate revenue and margins if demand for OLED and AR/VR tooling continues. Can AMAT Lead the Display Market With Advanced OLED and AR/VR Push?
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings date set — AMAT will report fiscal Q1 2026 results and host its earnings call on Feb. 12, 2026; that event is a near-term catalyst where management guidance and commentary on China exposure, memory demand and pricing will matter most. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Results on Feb. 12, 2026 Q1 2026 Earnings Call Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative sector performance pieces highlight AMAT vs. peers (ASML, Lam) and frame expectations — useful context for investors assessing valuation and relative upside but not an immediate driver. Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Applied Materials (AMAT) This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and China-market headwinds remain a drag — AMAT reported a ~3.5% revenue decline YoY in the last quarter and analysts point to China restrictions as a continuing risk to near-term top-line growth. That dynamic helps explain why some analysts still caution on downside despite upgrades. Which Semiconductor Equipment Stock Has More Upside in 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: Negative/sell viewpoints and insider selling are being highlighted by some outlets — a Yahoo piece recommends selling AMAT in favor of alternatives, and recent insider sales are noted in market summaries, both of which can add near-term selling pressure. 1 Reason to Sell AMAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead Quiver Quant: Insider Activity & Institutional Moves (AMAT)

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.