Boomfish Wealth Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Boomfish Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,157 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,615 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.5% of Boomfish Wealth Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.71.

Applied Materials Trading Up 3.7 %

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $181.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $158.96 and a one year high of $255.89. The company's 50 day moving average price is $174.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.53.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Applied Materials 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.