Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Position Boosted by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 25.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,498 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,776 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Field & Main Bank boosted its position in Applied Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 3,170 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,601 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,375,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 2,060 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,862 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded down $3.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.51. 5,730,689 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,896,893. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $127.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.39.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Applied Materials's payout ratio is currently 22.38%.

Applied Materials announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. B. Riley decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $164.00 to $162.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price target (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.48.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total value of $65,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,131.91. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary E. Dickerson acquired 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $137.30 per share, with a total value of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company 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.