DSG Capital Advisors LLC Takes Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

DSG Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 28,393 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,618,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson bought 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total transaction of $65,173.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,131.91. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.7%

Applied Materials stock opened at $155.11 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $150.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.48.

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.