Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Upgraded at Cantor Fitzgerald

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) was upgraded by investment analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $260.00 price target on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price target points to a potential upside of 25.09% from the company’s current price.

AMAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.13.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.2 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $207.85 on Monday. Applied Materials has a fifty-two week low of $109.00 and a fifty-two week high of $214.91. The stock has a market cap of $172.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $195.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.71.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 8.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. CGC Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.