VCI Wealth Management LLC Sells 3,006 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

VCI Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,022 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,006 shares during the quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the 3rd 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 during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $218.71.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $1.72 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $172.85. 7,356,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,935,979. The stock has a market cap of $140.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $174.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.14. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $158.96 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.