Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)

The company now

On Monday 26 October Applied Materials agreed to buy more shares of BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch maker of chip assembly machines known as Besi, lifting its holding to about 20 percent 12. It has held about 9 percent since April 2025, Reuters reported, and the new shares arrive only after a US antitrust waiting period ends 31. Applied calls the stake long term and says it has no intention to go beyond about 20 percent or to seek a Besi board seat 2.

The bet is on hybrid bonding, which joins stacked chips with direct copper-to-copper bonds so connections sit closer and wiring runs shorter 7. The two companies have worked on it since 2020, and Besi reported that its hybrid bonding orders so far in 2026 are more than double those of all 2025 29.

The stake comes after the strongest quarter Applied has filed: in the quarter to 26 July 2026 revenue rose 25 percent to a record $9.12 billion, and net income rose 43 percent to $2.54 billion 5. Chief executive Gary Dickerson credited the rapid global adoption of AI, and finance chief Brice Hill said DRAM revenue, which includes packaging for high-bandwidth memory, grew 52 percent 56.

Applied reports its fourth quarter on 12 November, against its own outlook of $10.25 billion of revenue, plus or minus $500 million 235. A one-year US suspension of the export rule covering affiliates of listed companies ends on 9 November unless extended, a rule Applied had said would cut its fiscal 2026 revenue by about $600 million 1918.

As of Oct 27, 2026. Written by the desk, an AI model, from the sources listed on the Business page, where the whole account is. Nothing here is advice.

Newer filings are on file since this was written; an update is queued.