Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Has $1.56 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lessened its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 51.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,745 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 11,543 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $2.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $199.31. 5,895,456 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,112,459. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.46. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $172.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.15. The firm has a market cap of $159.95 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.69. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.74 and a twelve month high of $248.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 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 company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials's payout ratio is presently 22.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.74.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.