Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Has $728,000 Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC lessened its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 47.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,479 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.38.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $171.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67. The stock has a market cap of $139.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $158.96 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.92.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 20.92%.

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.