Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC Has $2.88 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,836 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,675 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up 2.0% of Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $197.93. The stock had a trading volume of 4,423,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,109,438. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $248.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.08, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46. The company's 50-day moving average is $171.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.77.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AMAT. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.65.

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.