One Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $317,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

One Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,183 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. This 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 accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $2.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $185.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,580,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,161,150. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $177.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $215.70.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 22.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.74.

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.