Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.

Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. trimmed its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 29.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 102,009 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 42,092 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 3.0% of Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $14,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,603,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 637,639 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $103,699,000 after buying an additional 80,073 shares during the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $459,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $356,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT traded down $7.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $185.56. The stock had a trading volume of 2,672,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,094,824. The stock has a market cap of $148.91 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $123.74 and a one year high of $224.09. The business has a 50-day moving average of $175.89 and a 200-day moving average of $166.02.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMAT. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. B. Riley decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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