2,633 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Bought by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,633 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $543,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $1,514,814,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3,940.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,175,766 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $352,626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,121,912 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,117,176 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $12,012,171,000 after purchasing an additional 973,218 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,724,217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $441,514,000 after purchasing an additional 778,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 22,005,192 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,566,418,000 after purchasing an additional 682,098 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The stock was 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 owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $12,458,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 458,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,223,763.89. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 89,827 shares of company stock worth $21,382,560. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. B. Riley upped their price target on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $215.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.84.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.6 %

AMAT stock traded up $1.42 during trading on Monday, hitting $237.41. 4,238,596 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,774,771. 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 50-day moving average of $218.22 and a 200-day moving average of $196.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $129.21 and a 1 year high of $249.42.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.39%.

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.