Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Purchases 621 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,669 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 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 purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $39,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded down $1.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $192.63. 1,142,881 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,131,644. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $202.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.24. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.15 and a 12-month high of $214.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.64, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.59. 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 (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. 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 0.83%. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Bank Of America (Bofa) increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. B. Riley increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.