Diversified Trust Co Decreases Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Diversified Trust Co trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,714 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 307 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.29.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $180.23. 1,802,053 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,007,653. The business has a 50-day moving average of $174.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.22. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.24 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.65 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

About Applied Materials

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.