Liberty Wealth Management LLC Has $12.80 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Liberty Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 381.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,176 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 69,875 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $12,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,603,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,060,000. Oarsman Capital Inc. grew its position in Applied Materials by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 1,613 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 19,265 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $3,133,000 after acquiring an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price target (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, B. Riley decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $179.99 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $215.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.70. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $179.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.91.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.38%.

About Applied Materials

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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