294,070 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Purchased by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. made a significant investment of $42.68 million in Applied Materials, acquiring 294,070 shares during the first quarter.
• Applied Materials' stock is heavily influenced by institutional investors, with 80.56% of its shares owned by them, indicating strong market confidence.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 22.38%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 294,070 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $42,681,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.72 on Friday, reaching $184.87. The company had a trading volume of 4,338,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,230,918. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $215.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $181.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. The firm 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 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AMAT. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $204.09.

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.