Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Sells 3,410 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors lessened its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 57.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,500 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 3,410 shares during the period. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors' holdings in Applied Materials were worth $407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

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

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $165.94 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $134.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.71. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $149.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.12. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. This is a boost from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Susquehanna raised their price target on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.48.

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.

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