Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Conscious Wealth Investments LLC

Conscious Wealth Investments LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,567 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 1.9% of Conscious Wealth Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

AMAT stock opened at $171.98 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The company has a market cap of $139.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $175.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 target price (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.38.

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.