AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Grows Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2,796.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 224,907 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 217,141 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $46,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 26.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,225 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $410,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 281.6% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 973 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.4% during the second quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 11,151 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,041,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,653.89. This represents a 12.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,095,782.24. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,609 shares of company stock valued at $2,044,898 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $336.75 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $276.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $267.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.80, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $344.04.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMAT after forecasting a “significant acceleration” in wafer fab equipment (WFE) upgrades, a direct demand driver for Applied Materials’ tools and services. This upgrade supports a more bullish revenue outlook for 2026. AMAT stock: Mizuho sees ‘significant acceleration’ in WFE, upgrades rating
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and media pieces are positioning AMAT as a top pick for 2026, arguing the stock still has upside as secular demand for semiconductor capacity drives multi-year spending. This boosts investor confidence in the growth story. Analysts Expect Applied Materials Stock to Dominate in 2026. Should You Buy Shares Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted AMAT, saying the company faces a shortage it can’t meet—an indication of strong demand vs. constrained supply that tends to support pricing power and order books. Media amplification of that view can lift sentiment. Applied Materials (AMAT) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals: AMAT recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and provided upbeat Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance (1.98–2.38), supporting the case that earnings momentum underpins the rally. (Company reports)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data published for late January appears inconsistent (records showing zeros and NaN changes); current public figures don’t give a clear signal on bearish positioning or squeeze risk. Analysts and traders should treat the short-interest prints cautiously.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail and search interest noted by Zacks — attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental by itself. Investors Heavily Search Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Here is What You Need to Know

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued 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 $298.14.

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.