Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stake Boosted by Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,466 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,290 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $13,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 795.0% in the 3rd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 29,606 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 26,298 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $7.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $217.49. 5,815,326 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,789,904. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.18 and a fifty-two week high of $217.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $204.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AMAT. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Raymond James increased their price target on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set a "hold" rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.84.

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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