2,286 Shares in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Bought by Heck Capital Advisors LLC

Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,286 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $372,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $4.37 on Friday, reaching $155.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,237,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,961,412. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71. 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 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The stock's 50-day moving average is $150.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.70.

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

Applied Materials declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the manufacturing equipment provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management 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. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 22.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,716,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at $235,614,763.40. This trade represents a 3.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 6,077 shares in the company, valued at $880,131.91. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, B. Riley decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.