Bank of Nova Scotia Purchases 711,224 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 419.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 880,610 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 711,224 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia owned approximately 0.11% of Applied Materials worth $300,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 32,707,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,405,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,829,377 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,858,543,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 617.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,129,483 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,869,170,000 after buying an additional 7,856,576 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in Applied Materials by 25,824.4% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,370,167 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $86,610,000 after buying an additional 3,357,167 shares during the period. Finally, Coatue Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 5,984,332 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,537,913,000 after buying an additional 2,635,284 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Erste Group Bank upgraded Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $517.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $593.84.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $562.80 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $542.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $422.30. The stock has a market cap of $446.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.85, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.57. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.46 and a 1-year high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 19.91%.

Key Applied Materials News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Applied Materials’ upcoming fiscal third-quarter report on Aug. 13 to show double-digit earnings growth, reinforcing confidence in the company’s near-term fundamentals. What to Expect From Applied Materials’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was highlighted as a beneficiary of AI-driven semiconductor spending, with the sector rally and broader enthusiasm for chip equipment supporting sentiment around AMAT. Buy These 5 Semiconductor Stocks Charged Up by AI Enthusiasm
• Positive Sentiment: News that TSMC plans major expansion in Arizona and may raise chip prices helped boost Applied Materials, since more fab spending can translate into stronger equipment demand. Applied Materials (AMAT) Jumps On TSMC Expansion As Fair Value Debate Stays Open
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it will report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 13, keeping investor focus on the next catalyst for the stock. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Third Quarter 2026 Results on Aug. 13, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AMAT as a quality “wide-moat” semiconductor name and a stock to watch, but these pieces were more thematic than immediately market-moving. Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Invest in for Sustainable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary suggested the stock had been under short-term pressure before rebounding, indicating volatility rather than a clear fundamental shift. History Says Applied Materials Stock Looks Ripe for Rebound

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson sold 71,727 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.75, for a total value of $42,587,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,695,164 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,503,625. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 278,088 shares of company stock valued at $169,654,805 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.