Bard Financial Services Inc. Has $11.54 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Bard Financial Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,130 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 7,550 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 1.4% of Bard Financial Services Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Bard Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.6% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Biltmore Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% during the third quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.29.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $2.96 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $171.13. 6,604,678 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,203,713. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.05 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $141.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $184.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.37.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.