Sfmg LLC Has $9.09 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Sfmg LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 56,086 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.8% of Sfmg LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 76.9% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $220.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Bank Of America (Bofa) upped their target price on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.50.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT traded down $7.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $201.59. The company had a trading volume of 2,283,198 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,142,852. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.12 and a twelve month high of $214.91. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $201.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $167.50 billion, a PE ratio of 24.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.71.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.06%.

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.