Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $220.29.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Dbs Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $163.59 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $179.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $199.78. The firm has a market cap of $133.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials has a 12-month low of $148.05 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 4.7% in the second quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 9,143 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,847,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Merriman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Biltmore Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.