256,597 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Bought by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 256,597 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $41,730,000. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.7% of Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $202.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $210.29.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $0.73 on Friday, hitting $137.46. 6,485,904 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,642,142. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company has a market cap of $111.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $153.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 24.05%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson bought 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $137.30 per share, with a total value of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. This trade represents a 3.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This represents 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 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.