Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC Trims Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 241,604 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 17,404 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up approximately 12.7% of Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $48,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,571,178 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,327,707,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509,439 shares during the last quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 67,915 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $13,722,000 after acquiring an additional 21,699 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,139,114 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $230,158,000 after purchasing an additional 15,183 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 252.0% in the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 4,734 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $957,000 after buying an additional 3,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 26.9% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 52,639 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $10,636,000 after acquiring an additional 11,165 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $170.49. The stock had a trading volume of 6,193,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,158,536. The stock's fifty day moving average is $190.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.57 and a 1-year high of $255.89. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $219.81.

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.