Czech National Bank Has $34.08 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Czech National Bank grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 168,667 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,331 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $34,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Co of the South acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $242,000. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 15.6% during the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,077 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 33,187 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,705,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the period. M&R Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 400.0% in the third quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 500 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA increased its position in Applied Materials by 1.8% during the third quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 65,983 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $13,331,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $199.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $194.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.88. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.21 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $224.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Finally, B. Riley cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.90.

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.