Curat Global LLC Makes New $3.15 Million Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Curat Global LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 21,681 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,146,000. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 3.8% of Curat Global LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson bought 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was bought 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 owns 1,716,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. The trade was a 3.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total transaction of $65,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at $880,131.91. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Applied Materials from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $162.00 to $158.00 in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Edward Jones upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.29.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $2.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $166.74. 5,678,527 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,952,352. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71. The business has a 50 day moving average of $151.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.26.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.