Analysts Set Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) PT at $218.71

Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $216.10.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th.

Applied Materials Stock Down 8.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $169.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $175.36 and its 200 day moving average is $184.59. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $158.96 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The company has a market cap of $137.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.