Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Position Raised by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 220,621 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,514 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $31,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1,666.7% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter worth $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 173.9% during the 1st quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 252 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, M&R Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Applied Materials by 110.0% in the 2nd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 210 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $6.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $138.25. 13,654,571 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,054,903. The company has a market cap of $116.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.12 and a twelve month high of $155.26. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 17th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.16. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 49.29% and a net margin of 24.27%. The firm had revenue of $6.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 7.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.89%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.00, for a total value of $1,420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 69,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,869,568. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.00, for a total value of $1,420,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 69,504 shares in the company, valued at $9,869,568. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.04, for a total transaction of $150,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 106,023 shares in the company, valued at $15,907,690.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. TD Cowen increased their target price on Applied Materials from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.41.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. It 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.