Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Opinicus Capital Inc.

Opinicus Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,286 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.3% of Opinicus Capital Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Opinicus Capital Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aldebaran Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000. Sycomore Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Sycomore Asset Management now owns 33,107 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,437,000 after purchasing an additional 11,825 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $7,274,000. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $1,764,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 132.7% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,704 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,707,000 after buying an additional 9,527 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.84.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.5 %

AMAT traded up $3.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.99. The company had a trading volume of 6,387,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,592,667. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $218.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 2.80. The company has a market cap of $195.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.21 and a 12-month high of $249.42.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The business had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.39%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total value of $2,325,559.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,091,873.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total transaction of $2,325,559.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 89,827 shares of company stock valued at $21,382,560. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Company 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.