Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Planning Directions Inc.

Planning Directions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,023 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 98 shares during the quarter. Planning Directions Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $168.88 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $139.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.86. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.94 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $206.87.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.71%. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AMAT shares. B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Mizuho lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $219.81.

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.