Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Sells 608 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. cut its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,206 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 608 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% in the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its position in Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $174.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $189.83 and its 200-day moving average is $205.74. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $144.57 and a 12 month high of $255.89.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.05.

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.