Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Atom Investors LP

Atom Investors LP increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 157.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,967 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,156 shares during the quarter. Atom Investors LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $206,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $203,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $179,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.1% in the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 23,027 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,434,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $131,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $174.71 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $144.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $188.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $204.41. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.57 and a twelve month high of $255.89.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. 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. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.48.

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.