Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Vinva Investment Management Ltd

Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,660 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,747 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $7,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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Applied Materials Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $2.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $152.12. 15,887,839 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,887,441. 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $170.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.89. The firm has a market cap of $123.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.37 and a 52-week high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. 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. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.