Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Holdings Increased by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,350 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,117,176 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,012,171,000 after acquiring an additional 973,218 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 22,005,192 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,566,418,000 after buying an additional 682,098 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,738,382 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,226,581,000 after acquiring an additional 224,296 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Applied Materials by 6.0% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,995,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,383,848,000 after acquiring an additional 570,080 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,514,814,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $215.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.84.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock opened at $235.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $194.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $214.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $249.42.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at $24,091,873.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.62, for a total transaction of $554,050.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 76,212 shares in the company, valued at $16,890,103.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,091,873.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,598,500 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.