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Guinness Global Innovators fund spotlights Applied Materials amid AI WFE rally
The fund cited Applied Materials as a top WFE performer over the quarter, with the stock up 111.8% in USD, and noted AMAT closed at $492.32 on Aug. 21, 2026.
Guinness Global Innovators, an investment management firm, said its Guinness Global Innovators Fund returned 13.8% in GBP in Q2 2026, ahead of the MSCI World Index at 13.0% and the IA Global sector average at 13.1%, according to the fund's Q2 2026 quarterly investor update.
The update attributed improved sentiment to easing Middle East tensions, falling oil prices, and renewed enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, which helped investors rotate back toward growth stocks and AI infrastructure beneficiaries. It said an overweight in the Information Technology sector supported relative performance, while an overweight in Communication Services detracted, and avoiding weaker Utilities, Materials, and Energy also helped.
In the same investor letter, the fund highlighted Applied Materials, Inc. as a notable contributor, describing the company as a supplier of materials engineering solutions, equipment, services, and software for semiconductors. The update said Applied Materials closed at $492.32 per share on Aug. 21, 2026, with its one-month return at -4.75% and a 52-week gain of 203.92%, and added that Applied Materials was up 111.8% in USD over the quarter.
Guinness Global Innovators said it holds three semiconductor equipment manufacturers and called them the quarter’s top performers, naming Applied Materials (+111.8% in USD), KLA (+105.2%), and LAM Research (+103.0%). The fund said wafer fabrication equipment companies sit at the center of the semiconductor value chain, supplying specialized tools needed to manufacture advanced chips.