HB Wealth Management LLC Has $3.33 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,457 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 1,480 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 14.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 11,927 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,815,000 after buying an additional 1,549 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 3,931 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 64.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,177 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 5,561 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 137,188 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $32,375,000 after purchasing an additional 11,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 410,705 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $96,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,222 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $5.57 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $192.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,101,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,337,131. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.78 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $156.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $173.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share 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 issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.95.

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.