Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is Talbot Financial LLC’s 5th Largest Position

Talbot Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,113 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 3.6% of Talbot Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Talbot Financial LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $26,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total value of $2,325,559.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,185 shares in the company, valued at $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total transaction of $2,325,559.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares in the company, valued at $11,639,630.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $1,597,650.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 78,712 shares in the company, valued at $16,767,230.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,827 shares of company stock worth $21,382,560 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Susquehanna increased their price target on Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.84.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $1.42 on Monday, reaching $237.41. 4,237,759 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,774,767. The company has a market cap of $196.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $218.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.10. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $249.42.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.39%.

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.