Schnieders Capital Management LLC Purchases 3,380 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Key Points

• Schnieders Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. by 41.5%, adding 3,380 shares to reach a total of 11,534 shares valued at approximately $1.67 million.
• Applied Materials recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, which will be paid on September 11th, representing an annualized yield of 1.0%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Applied Materials, with several upgrading their price targets while some downgraded their ratings from "buy" to "hold," indicating divided sentiment on the stock's future performance.

Schnieders Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 41.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,534 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 3,380 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,603,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Titleist Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $282,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $137,000. Finally, Trek Financial LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 2,535 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Redburn Atlantic lowered Applied Materials from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.09.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

AMAT stock traded up $1.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $184.87. 4,338,229 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,230,918. The company's fifty day moving average price is $181.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.81. The firm has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $215.70.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.38%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.