Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Position Raised by Keybank National Association OH

Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,456 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,472 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $19,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $215.38.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $2.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $155.32. 5,858,137 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,864,508. The firm has a market cap of $126.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $149.55 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $174.50 and a 200 day moving average of $181.78.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.92%.

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.