Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Colonial River Investments LLC

Colonial River Investments LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,147 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Colonial River Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock opened at $171.98 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $139.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $175.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results 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 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 20.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.