West Oak Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

West Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,492 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 840 shares during the quarter. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at $40,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.4 %

AMAT traded down $2.87 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $205.13. 2,427,546 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,513,423. The firm has a market cap of $170.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.00 and a 12-month high of $214.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $189.26 and a 200 day moving average of $161.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. The business 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 quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMAT. B. Riley raised their target price on Applied Materials from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.83.

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.