Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,165 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 375 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 333.8% during the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7 %

AMAT stock traded down $5.38 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $194.51. 4,063,046 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,169,328. The company has a market capitalization of $161.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.91. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.12 and a fifty-two week high of $214.91. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $202.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.06.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The business had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Bank Of America (Bofa) lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.50.

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.