Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Purchases 47,896 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 319,520 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 47,896 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $46,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 110.0% during the second quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 210 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 173.9% during the first quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 252 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Craig Hallum increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $139.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.29.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.04, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $148.59 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $93.68 and a 52-week high of $157.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $140.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.14.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.14. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.27% and a return on equity of 49.29%. The firm had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 16.89%.

About Applied Materials

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.