Brokerages Set Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target at $197.33

Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $201.50.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AMAT. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.3 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $189.77 on Monday. Applied Materials has a 52 week low of $109.15 and a 52 week high of $214.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $202.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.59.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. The business had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 15.06%.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.