Modus Advisors LLC Has $29,000 Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Modus Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 87.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 177 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,285 shares during the quarter. Modus Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $29,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in 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 last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $170.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $138.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.91. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.05 and a 12 month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.29.

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.