Private Advisor Group LLC Has $6.06 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,263 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,365 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Plan Group Financial LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 2,402 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $589,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,125,014 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $182,961,000 after buying an additional 4,849 shares during the period. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 75,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,244,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 74.0% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 42,644 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,935,000 after buying an additional 18,130 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $171.98 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $158.96 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $175.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $139.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.53.

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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

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.