Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s 9th Largest Position

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 29,285 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 1.9% of Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted 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 during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted 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 during the period. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 795.0% during the 3rd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 29,606 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 26,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $5.88 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $203.38. 3,933,453 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,553,379. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $203.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.15 and a 1 year high of $214.91.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued 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 return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.50.

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.