Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Soros Capital Management LLC

Soros Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 69,457 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 12,681 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.8% of Soros Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Soros Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $11,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 829,786 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $134,964,000 after buying an additional 58,809 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 147,740 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $24,027,000 after acquiring an additional 20,817 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Applied Materials by 173.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 93,660 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $15,232,000 after acquiring an additional 59,418 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $779,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2,477.6% during the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 19,873 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $3,232,000 after purchasing an additional 19,102 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $208.86.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total transaction of $65,173.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,131.91. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson purchased 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $137.30 per share, with a total value of $6,865,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at $235,614,763.40. This trade represents a 3.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 0.9 %

AMAT traded up $1.38 on Friday, hitting $151.55. The company had a trading volume of 4,804,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,662,578. The company's fifty day moving average price is $149.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.16. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.74 and a 1 year high of $255.89. 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 firm has a market cap of $123.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.81, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 24.05%.

Applied Materials declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Applied Materials 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.