Hoxton Planning & Management LLC Buys Shares of 2,056 Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Key Points

• Hoxton Planning & Management LLC made a new investment of approximately $298,000 in Applied Materials, acquiring 2,056 shares during the first quarter.
• Despite recent investments from various large investors, Applied Materials' stock has seen fluctuations, with a downtrend of 4.9% noted recently.
• Research analysts have issued mixed ratings, with nine rating the stock as 'hold' and seventeen as 'buy', reflecting varying confidence in the company's future performance.

Hoxton Planning & Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,056 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. lifted 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AMAT. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.17.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $179.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,391,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,876,455. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.74 and a 52-week high of $215.70. The company has a market cap of $144.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $166.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.06% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.38%.

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.