Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stake Trimmed by Dynasty Wealth Management LLC

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,112 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 699 shares during the period. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $158.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $128.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.03. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $153.95 and a twelve month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Bank of America reduced their price target 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 lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.38.

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.