Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Bard Financial Services Inc.

Bard Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,280 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.1% of Bard Financial Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $8.69 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $178.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,544,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,758,643. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.24 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 14th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.29.

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.