Advisory Resource Group Boosts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Advisory Resource Group increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 22.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,867 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 4,561 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.1% of Advisory Resource Group's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Advisory Resource Group's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,808,047 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $7,841,178,000 after purchasing an additional 672,548 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,826,373 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,994,968,000 after purchasing an additional 371,866 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 5.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,413,112 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,316,269,000 after buying an additional 858,122 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 3.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,861,933 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,790,554,000 after acquiring an additional 318,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,571,178 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,327,707,000 after buying an additional 1,509,439 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Dbs Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America cut their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.29.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $2.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $171.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,604,678 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,203,713. 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 moving average of $184.73 and a 200-day moving average of $202.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.52. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.05 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

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.