Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Position Increased by Cape Investment Advisory Inc.

Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1,065.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,208 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,847 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $158.07 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $128.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.95 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid 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 1.01%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

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.