Entropy Technologies LP Invests $950,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,700 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $950,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 56.0% in the 2nd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $182.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $190.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $207.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.94 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.24.

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.