Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 106.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,241 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,795 shares during the period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Telos Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 10.2% in the third quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,379 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $521,000. Olympiad Research LP acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $224,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.5% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 57,659 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $7,983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $42,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a "hold" rating and a $225.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Applied Materials from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.64.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $1.95 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $212.08. 8,031,759 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,374,870. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.18 and a twelve month high of $219.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $204.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.13. The company has a market cap of $176.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 27.57%. The company had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. Applied Materials's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders 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 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 14.71%.

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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