Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 252.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,640 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,474 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Field & Main Bank grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 3,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 6,998 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,138,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,388 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,202,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,601 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,375,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mezzasalma Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 2,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

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Applied Materials Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded up $0.06 on Monday, hitting $145.12. 7,115,579 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,279,537. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.16 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company has a market cap of $117.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $166.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.05%.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the manufacturing equipment provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $214.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 6,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.