Fmr LLC Has $3.32 Billion Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,413,112 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 858,122 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned approximately 1.99% of Applied Materials worth $3,316,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Applied Materials by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,571,178 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,327,707,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509,439 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 47.0% during the third quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 67,915 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $13,722,000 after purchasing an additional 21,699 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,139,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $230,158,000 after purchasing an additional 15,183 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 252.0% during the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 4,734 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 3,389 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 26.9% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 52,639 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $10,636,000 after buying an additional 11,165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $2.70 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $171.85. 3,245,334 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,160,431. The company has a market cap of $141.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.56. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $189.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $205.49. 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 twelve month low of $144.57 and a twelve month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. B. Riley reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.05.

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.