Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC Buys Shares of 1,311 Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,311 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its stake in Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 61.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $5.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $192.05. 8,101,765 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,337,131. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.30. The company has a market cap of $156.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53. 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 52 week low of $156.78 and a 52 week high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.41.

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.