Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives $233.14 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $233.86.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $223.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total transaction of $2,325,559.55. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $1,764,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 89.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,988 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,121,000 after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 5.4% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Balentine LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 19,263 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,538 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $243,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $187.58 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $210.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $154.64 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55. Applied Materials has a 1 year low of $129.21 and a 1 year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The company had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

About Applied Materials

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.