Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Makes New Investment in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 100,259 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $20,257,000. Applied Materials comprises 1.0% of Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter worth $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the 2nd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $169.08 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $148.05 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $201.92. The company has a market cap of $139.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.29.

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.