Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Price Down 0.6% - What's Next?

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $184.44 and last traded at $185.22. 490,052 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 6,074,900 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Dbs Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $229.14.

Applied Materials Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $152.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $209.11.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.39%.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,771 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,748 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Roof Eidam Maycock Peralta LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roof Eidam Maycock Peralta LLC now owns 8,080 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,633,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,759 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the period. Finally, GFG Capital LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. GFG Capital LLC now owns 30,731 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $6,209,000 after purchasing an additional 3,114 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Applied Materials

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.