Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Buys 1,689 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,565 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,689 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1,666.7% during the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 212 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 173.9% during the first quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 252 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. New Street Research cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 16th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $152.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 1,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.04, for a total value of $150,040.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 106,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,907,690.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.00, for a total transaction of $1,420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 69,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,869,568. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.04, for a total transaction of $150,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 106,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,907,690.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $147.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $123.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.60. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $71.12 and a one year high of $155.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $144.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.59.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 17th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $6.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.27% and a return on equity of 49.29%. The company’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 7.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.89%.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. It 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.