Leibman Financial Services Inc. Has $3.04 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Leibman Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,034 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 588 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 2.2% of Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.4 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $200.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $166.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.54. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.21 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $194.38 and its 200 day moving average is $209.90. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.90.

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.