Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Sells 227 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,745 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 227 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $548,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Camden National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $400,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $3,262,000. Allen Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 13.7% during the third quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 1,554 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $643,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. B. Riley dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.05.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $174.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.57 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $205.72. The firm has a market cap of $144.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given 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 0.91%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

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.