Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Holdings Increased by Four Tree Island Advisory LLC

Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 6.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,414 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises approximately 6.3% of Four Tree Island Advisory LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 3,734 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% in the first quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% in the first quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.0% in the first quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 7,324 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.9% in the first quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,565 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $2.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $185.56. 2,174,487 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,289,356. The company has a fifty day moving average of $177.19 and a 200 day moving average of $166.54. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $215.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.69.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.06% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 22.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $204.74.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.