Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Mizuho Markets Cayman LP

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 93.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,550 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 3.5% of Mizuho Markets Cayman LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,531,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Mizuho dropped 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, January 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $3.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $147.68. 6,892,582 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,912,271. The company has a market cap of $119.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $168.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.37 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.05%.

Applied Materials declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the manufacturing equipment provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.