BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Reduces Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 478,457 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 27,758 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 0.9% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $97,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 3,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Everpar Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.5% during the third quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 3,359 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $688,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — a recent analyst move raised AMAT’s price target by ~17%, signaling renewed analyst confidence in the company’s medium-term outlook and providing a bullish anchor for investors. Applied Materials (AMAT) price target increased by 17.14% to 329.63
• Positive Sentiment: Street expects Q1 upside — Morgan Stanley published a note expecting Applied to surpass Q1 estimates, reinforcing a near-term earnings beat narrative that can support the stock if results meet or beat. Morgan Stanley expects Applied Materials to surpass Q1 estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings-beat history and growth profile — analysts and Zacks highlight AMAT’s history of beating estimates and its strong growth characteristics, which supports investor expectations for continued outperformance into upcoming reports. Will Applied Materials (AMAT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/positioning debate — commentary asks whether AMAT is “too late” after a large one‑year gain; these pieces frame investor debate over valuation and rotation rather than providing a clear catalyst. Is It Too Late To Consider Applied Materials (AMAT) After Its 80% One Year Surge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears unreliable — an item flagged a large increase in short interest but reported 0 shares (data anomaly); this is not a clear driver given the suspect numbers and should be treated cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy intraday selling despite positive developments — reports note a sharp intraday plunge (midday selling) even though the company had favorable items in its favor; that suggests profit-taking, headline-driven flows or rotation out of chip-capex names pressured the stock. Applied Materials Stock (AMAT) Plunges despite Hopes for a ‘More Constructive Direction’
• Negative Sentiment: Underperforming the broader market on the day — market commentary explains AMAT fell more than the broader indices, consistent with sector rotation and headline-driven volatility that can accelerate declines during high-volume selling days. Here’s Why Applied Materials (AMAT) Fell More Than Broader Market

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $405.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday. Citigroup upped their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $311.04.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $297.60 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $285.58 and its 200 day moving average is $229.79. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $344.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $236.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.17 EPS 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 business had revenue of $6.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Materials has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.380 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.24, for a total transaction of $952,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total value of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,127,653.89. This trade represents a 12.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.