Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Buys 111 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,819 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 29.8% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,571,178 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,327,707,000 after buying an additional 1,509,439 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 67,915 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $13,722,000 after purchasing an additional 21,699 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 252.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 4,734 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $957,000 after purchasing an additional 3,389 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,988 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,121,000 after purchasing an additional 4,239 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 5.7% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,338 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $186.61 on Wednesday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.94 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.42. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $153.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 17.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $224.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.24.

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.