Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd Grows Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 75,540.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,782 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.5% of Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stance Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 55,442 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $11,351,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its stake in Applied Materials by 1.7% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 5,200 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.9% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 70,407 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $14,414,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.3% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 115,351 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $23,617,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $395.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market capitalization of $279.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $336.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $265.80.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.88 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.78% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $420.00 to $432.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.46.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total value of $979,275.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,089 shares in the company, valued at $10,219,322.19. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares in the company, valued at $50,051,063.65. This represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Materials

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.53, with a low forward payout ratio and long-term dividend growth — signals management confidence and returns cash to shareholders. As Applied Materials Raises Its Dividend 15%, Should You Buy AMAT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and industry pieces position AMAT as a key beneficiary of an AI-driven semiconductor cycle (memory, logic, tooling), reinforcing growth expectations for equipment makers. Applied Materials: The AI Gold Rush Everyone Is Missing
• Positive Sentiment: Research/technology-focused coverage highlights AMAT’s process node relevance (gate-all-around) and upgrades its buy thesis — technical roadmap upside can drive order cycles. Applied Materials: The Gate-All-Around Inflection Point Justifies A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: AMAT announced a collaboration with Synopsys and NVIDIA to speed quantum chemistry simulations for chip R&D — could shorten materials development cycles and improve competitive positioning. Applied Materials Ties Quantum Simulations To AI Chip R&D Story
• Positive Sentiment: Investor mentions: billionaire investor Ken Fisher included AMAT among notable moves for 2026, providing a retail/market sentiment tailwind. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Billionaire Ken Fisher Remains Positive on Semis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the dividend yield remains low (~0.6%) despite the hike and multiple dividend-focused write-ups reiterate yield/context rather than changing the growth story. Applied Materials Dividend Growth Adds New Dimension to AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zeroed out and shouldn’t be read as a material new signal today. Short interest data (market feed)

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.