MML Investors Services LLC Raises Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 8.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,840 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,631 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $27,649,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $784,000. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5,277.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310,414 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $62,719,000 after purchasing an additional 304,642 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,006,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $84,325,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.7 %

Applied Materials stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $171.86. 7,358,301 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,192,041. The company has a market cap of $141.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.52. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $148.05 and a twelve month high of $255.89. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $185.31 and a 200-day moving average of $202.74.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors 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 currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. 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 report on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $164.00 target price (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $220.29.

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.