Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC

Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,808 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 360 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hendley & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Hendley & Co. Inc. now owns 31,356 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,099,000 after buying an additional 9,757 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 145.6% during the fourth quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. BHK Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. BHK Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,847 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Millington Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,513,000. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 48,169 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $7,834,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $168.57 on Tuesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $158.96 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The business has a fifty day moving average of $175.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.74. The stock has a market cap of $137.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

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.