Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $205.17.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut shares of Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oarsman Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 15.9% in the second quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 1,638 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 19.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 4,314 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $790,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the last quarter. Motco lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 9,900.0% in the second quarter. Motco now owns 800 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 31.1% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,730 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $3,612,000 after acquiring an additional 4,686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Biltmore Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $179.99 on Friday. Applied Materials has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $215.70. The stock has a market cap of $144.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $179.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.06% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.09 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.38%.

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.