Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Annex Advisory Services LLC

Annex Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 75.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 32,474 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 101,880 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $192.05 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.95. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $156.78 and a one year high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $156.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho lowered 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. One equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.95.

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.