Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $220.29.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target 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. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.3 %

AMAT stock traded up $2.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.59. 15,050,092 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,270,956. Applied Materials has a one year low of $148.05 and a one year high of $255.89. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $179.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $199.78. The company has a market cap of $133.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% in the second quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,847,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Biltmore Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

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.