Stephens Inc. AR Has $6.55 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,139 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,896 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 3,734 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,061 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,506 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 977 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $197.93 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $171.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.94. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $248.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS 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 company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.38%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $225.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.65.

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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