Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Has $15.23 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 173.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,660 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 59,418 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $15,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisory Resource Group grew its stake in Applied Materials by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 24,867 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $5,024,000 after buying an additional 4,561 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.7% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,746 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 47,649 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $9,627,000 after acquiring an additional 9,941 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,845 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 4,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 54,967 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $11,106,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. The trade was a 3.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 3.8 %

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $5.28 on Wednesday, hitting $143.58. 7,988,427 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,658,002. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The company's 50 day moving average price is $150.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $208.86.

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.