Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,198 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 1.2% of Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $18,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded up $2.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $174.06. 5,792,836 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,703,145. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $184.05. The stock has a market cap of $141.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.96 and a 1-year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.