Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Leibman Financial Services Inc.

Leibman Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,285 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for 1.8% of Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its position in Applied Materials by 326.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Bank of America cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. One investment 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.24.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $170.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $139.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $149.84 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.18.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.