Sava Infond d.o.o. Has $8.44 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Sava Infond d.o.o. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 19.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,165 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 9,500 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 1.6% of Sava Infond d.o.o.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Sava Infond d.o.o.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $171.96 on Tuesday. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $159.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.88. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $138.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.67.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a net margin of 24.06% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.38%.

Applied Materials announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the manufacturing equipment provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AMAT. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.29.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson purchased 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 1,716,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total transaction of $65,173.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,131.91. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Applied Materials Company 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.

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