LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Boosts Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,220 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.4% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $13,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.71.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock traded down $4.99 on Friday, hitting $172.00. 2,976,862 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,498,373. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $148.48 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.58. The firm has a market cap of $139.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.