Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,148 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 787 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises 0.8% of Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $24,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,308 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 64.3% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 7,078 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Interval Partners LP grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 7,433.3% during the 1st quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 11,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,269,000 after acquiring an additional 11,150 shares during the period. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,297,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 15,703 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $175.99 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.57 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $205.71. The company has a market capitalization of $145.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Mizuho reduced 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 report on Friday, September 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.05.

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.