Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Zhang Financial LLC

Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,356 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. RFP Financial Group LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 96.6% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 173 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.14.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ AMAT traded up $0.63 on Monday, reaching $208.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,485,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,981,879. The firm has a market capitalization of $172.66 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $129.21 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $222.50 and a 200-day moving average of $210.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 41.22% and a net margin of 27.57%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.39%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total transaction of $2,325,559.55. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Applied Materials news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total value of $2,325,559.55. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,639,630.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at $24,091,873.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 89,827 shares of company stock valued at $21,382,560. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials 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.