Cwm LLC Increases Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Cwm LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 7.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,494 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,276 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT opened at $197.10 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $158.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.69. The company's 50 day moving average is $172.76 and its 200 day moving average is $165.15. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $248.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $220.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.74.

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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