Moody National Bank Trust Division Has $1.77 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Moody National Bank Trust Division decreased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,861 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 351 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

AMAT stock traded down $0.91 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $170.74. 2,306,411 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,554,082. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.84 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.62. The firm has a market cap of $138.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AMAT. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup cut their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on 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 cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.24.

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.