Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Liberty Wealth Management LLC

Liberty Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,301 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,826 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,976,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $146.99 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.37 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $173.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.42 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 20.92%.

Applied Materials declared that its board has approved a share 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 repurchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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