Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Hardy Reed LLC

Hardy Reed LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,253 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the quarter. Hardy Reed LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 592.9% in 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 last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $174.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $141.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.05. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $158.96 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price 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. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.38.

Applied Materials 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.