By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,617 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $793,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,388 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,202,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Arbor Trust Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Arbor Trust Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,046 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company grew its position in Applied Materials by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 13,217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Clarius Group LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 9,951 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $218.95.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Applied Materials
Applied Materials Stock Up 0.4 %
NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $192.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $158.96 and a one year high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $156.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Applied Materials Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.58%.
Applied Materials Profile
Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.
Recommended Stories
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Applied Materials Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for Applied Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.