Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stake Lessened by Graypoint LLC

Graypoint LLC lowered its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,077 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 703 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $33,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $171.65 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $139.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $173.91 and its 200-day moving average is $193.18. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.48 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.71.

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.