Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by JNBA Financial Advisors

JNBA Financial Advisors decreased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 14,989 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 545 shares during the quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in Applied Materials by 326.3% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Citigroup cut their price target on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $224.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.14.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.2 %

AMAT stock traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $186.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,658,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,046,967. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $191.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market cap of $153.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $139.69 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.98%.

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.