Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab Takes $11.64 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 56,830 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,635,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $93,210,000. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1,452.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 58,073 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $11,890,000 after purchasing an additional 54,333 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 75,540.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,782 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5.0% in the third quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 55,442 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $11,351,000 after buying an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.8%

AMAT opened at $352.46 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $336.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $265.80. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $395.95. The company has a market cap of $279.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Applied Materials News Summary

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)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $430.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, February 13th. Summit Insights raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $340.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Applied Materials from $370.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total transaction of $202,471.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,753,615. The trade was a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Company 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.