1,486 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Purchased by Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,486 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 333.8% during the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.50.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $209.48 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.00 and a 12 month high of $214.91. The stock has a market cap of $174.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s 50 day moving average is $201.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The company had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.06%.

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.