BDF Gestion Has $3.49 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

BDF Gestion trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 48.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,473 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 20,119 shares during the quarter. BDF Gestion's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded up $6.44 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $181.72. The company had a trading volume of 5,991,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,818,539. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.96 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $174.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $187.55. The stock has a market cap of $147.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $164.00 target price (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. KeyCorp raised shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $218.71.

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.