2,082 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Bought by Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV

Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.6% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,847,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Merriman Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Biltmore Family Office LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 5.3% in the third quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, waypoint wealth counsel lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.1% in the third quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 1,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $8.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $186.48. 10,822,680 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,264,388. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.65. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.20 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped 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 note on Friday, November 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.24.

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.