Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. Sells 213 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. decreased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,563 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 213 shares during the period. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 76.9% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AMAT. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their price target on Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.50.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $9.59 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $199.89. 6,348,555 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,200,080. The business’s 50 day moving average is $201.54 and its 200-day moving average is $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $166.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.59. 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 1-year low of $109.12 and a 1-year high of $214.91.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 15.06%.

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.