Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Field & Main Bank

Field & Main Bank increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,540 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the quarter. Field & Main Bank’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.88 on Monday, reaching $205.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,786,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,081,282. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.91. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $111.20 and a 52-week high of $214.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $203.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.59.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. The company had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.48 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.50.

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.