Nwam LLC Has $1.49 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Nwam LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 49.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,158 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,026 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Applied Materials Stock Down 7.0 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $156.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $175.49 and its 200-day moving average is $183.27. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.38 and a 12 month high of $255.89.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. 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 1.02%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 20.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.