Zevin Asset Management LLC Sells 154 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Zevin Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,086 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hills Bank & Trust Co boosted its position in Applied Materials by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,061 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Carret Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 35,180 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,721,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. now owns 24,629 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $4,005,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $4,651,000. Finally, Blume Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Applied Materials by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,989 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $6,503,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 3.8 %

AMAT stock opened at $155.66 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $126.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $145.37 and a one year high of $255.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $172.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.05%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.