Catalina Capital Group LLC Acquires 449 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 19.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7.2% in the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $326,000. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 184,011 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,179,000 after buying an additional 6,229 shares during the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 47.6% during the 3rd quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,501 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,466 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $186.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.21 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a market cap of $153.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s 50 day moving average is $191.18 and its 200 day moving average is $207.51.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 17.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $224.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Citigroup cut their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.14.

About Applied Materials

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.