FCG Investment Co Has $1.03 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Key Points

• FCG Investment Co significantly increased its stake in Applied Materials by 92.8%, now holding a value of approximately $1.03 million in shares.
• Various institutional investors have also made substantial investments in Applied Materials, with 80.56% of the company's stock owned by such entities.
• Recent analyst ratings for Applied Materials are mixed, with one brokerage upgrading to a "buy" and setting a target price of $195, while another downgraded it to "sell" with a target of $150.

FCG Investment Co boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 92.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,072 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 3,403 shares during the period. FCG Investment Co's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,026,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.84.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $161.76 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $215.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $166.65. The company has a market capitalization of $129.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.93%.

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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