Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 51.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,122 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 9,610 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock traded up $5.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $192.05. 8,101,765 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,337,131. 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 12-month low of $156.78 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The stock's 50 day moving average is $173.10 and its 200 day moving average is $190.95. The company has a market cap of $156.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The business's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp raised shares of 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. Barclays dropped 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $218.95.

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.