Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 59.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,378 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,851 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $7,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 33.8% in the fourth quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,479 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 178,748 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $29,070,000 after acquiring an additional 10,081 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 609 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 68,673 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $11,168,000 after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $170.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $139.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 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. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $192.18. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $149.84 and a 1 year high of $255.89.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen reduced 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. 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. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.24.

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.