Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Independent Advisor Alliance

Independent Advisor Alliance lowered its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 29.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,894 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 7,798 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded down $1.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $173.20. The company had a trading volume of 6,509,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,175,839. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $189.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $205.23. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.57 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $142.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during 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%. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMAT. StockNews.com cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Dbs Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average 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.