Ossiam Buys 4,333 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Ossiam raised its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 50.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,970 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 4,333 shares during the period. Ossiam's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,588,422,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $182,962,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1,069.9% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,079,977 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $175,637,000 after acquiring an additional 987,660 shares during the period. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $157,426,000. Finally, Flossbach Von Storch SE lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 126.6% in the 4th quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE now owns 1,600,078 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $260,221,000 after purchasing an additional 893,995 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Edward Jones upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Mizuho lowered their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One 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 stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $208.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson acquired 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $137.30 per share, with a total value of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.38 on Friday, hitting $151.55. The stock had a trading volume of 4,802,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,662,573. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $149.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.16. The stock has a market cap of $123.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 24.05%.

Applied Materials announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the manufacturing equipment provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.