Aberdeen Group plc Has $149.40 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 720,084 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 16,284 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.09% of Applied Materials worth $149,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $410,000. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $293,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS of $2.38 topped estimates and revenue of $7.01B beat expectations, evidence that services and AI-related demand are offsetting cyclical headwinds. This beat is the primary catalyst for the rally. Applied Materials Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance and AI-driven order cadence — management set Q2 EPS and revenue guidance above Street consensus and highlighted surging orders tied to AI processors and tightening memory demand, supporting a view of sustained equipment spending. Applied Materials jumps as AI demand drives chipmaking tool orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases — multiple firms raised ratings/targets (examples cited include Needham, Mizuho, Citigroup, B. Riley), which amplifies buying momentum and reduces near-term downside from sell-side skepticism.
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory settlement resolved — Applied reached a $252.5M civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce over prior export issues; DOJ and SEC closed related probes without action. The payment is a one-time cost but it removes regulatory overhang going forward. Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bear case commentary — some analysts and op-eds argue the stock’s run has left limited upside and warn of pricey multiples; this creates the risk of profit-taking if future execution or guidance lags. Applied Materials: Little Opportunity Left After A Monstrous Run

Applied Materials Trading Up 8.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $354.91 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $295.20 and its 200-day moving average is $236.72. The company has a market cap of $281.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.70. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $376.32.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 84,351 shares in the company, valued at $20,095,782.24. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 609 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.53, for a total transaction of $155,617.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,609 shares of company stock worth $2,044,898 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on AMAT. KGI Securities upgraded Applied Materials to an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Applied Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty-eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.03.

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.