Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 30.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 384,431 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 90,146 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $62,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Applied Materials by 0.6% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,847,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Biltmore Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 3,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners raised its position in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the third quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 4,259 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $860,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT traded down $4.03 on Friday, hitting $171.98. 7,364,128 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,722,227. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $175.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.92. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $158.96 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $139.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Mizuho decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp raised Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.38.

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.