China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 49.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,067 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,651 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,588,422,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 18,402.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,824,304 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,647,430,000 after buying an additional 1,814,444 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,230,464 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $1,663,780,000 after buying an additional 1,602,645 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 301.6% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 1,959,997 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $318,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,953 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Applied Materials by 10,767.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,347,580 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $219,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335,180 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $197.93. 4,423,891 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,109,438. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.98. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $248.81. The company has a market cap of $158.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.69.

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 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 business had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $203.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials 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 owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.