Vanguard Group Inc. Has $11.20 Billion Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 0.2%, now holding 77,177,161 shares valued at approximately $11.2 billion.
• Research firms have mixed ratings for Applied Materials, with Raymond James maintaining an "outperform" rating but lowering the target price from $225 to $200.
• Applied Materials has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing a 1.0% yield, with an ex-dividend date on August 21st.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,177,161 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 137,494 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.50% of Applied Materials worth $11,199,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Twin City Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 2,687 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in Applied Materials by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 15,278 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,217,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Endowment Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth about $283,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,652 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $1,570,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9%

Applied Materials stock traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $184.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,338,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,230,918. The firm's 50 day moving average is $181.57 and its 200 day moving average is $166.81. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The company has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. 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 given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target (up from $175.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $220.00 target price on Applied Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $204.09.

Applied Materials 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.