Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Holdings Increased by TD Private Client Wealth LLC

TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,092 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,244,566 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $857,615,000 after purchasing an additional 108,827 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $319,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 4,037 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.7% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 34,379 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,860 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 9.6% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 557,566 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $112,656,000 after acquiring an additional 48,861 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $152.12 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $170.32 and its 200-day moving average is $177.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.37 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $123.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 24.05%.

Applied Materials declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to buy up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Edward Jones raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.