Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by ST Germain D J Co. Inc.

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 16,918 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $33,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $171.65 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.48 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $139.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.18. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Dbs Bank cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.