Natixis Has $83.52 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Natixis lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 109.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 513,567 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 268,004 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 0.5% of Natixis' portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Natixis owned approximately 0.06% of Applied Materials worth $83,521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Field & Main Bank raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 3,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 6,998 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,388 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,202,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,601 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,375,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mezzasalma Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 2,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total value of $65,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,131.91. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson purchased 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded up $5.82 during trading on Thursday, reaching $149.40. 3,624,279 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,646,804. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $121.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $150.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 24.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Edward Jones raised shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Susquehanna increased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.86.

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.