Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-two analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $215.38.

Several brokerages have commented on AMAT. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,244,566 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $857,615,000 after acquiring an additional 108,827 shares during the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 11.5% in the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 6,969 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,408,000 after buying an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 47.6% in the third quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,501 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $326,000. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 7.2% in the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.6 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $155.32 on Thursday. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $149.55 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.78.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 20.92%.

About Applied Materials

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.