Signet Financial Management LLC Has $6.51 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Signet Financial Management LLC cut its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,028 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 197 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for about 0.8% of Signet Financial Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,510,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $170.86. 5,461,953 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,008,178. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $149.84 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Bank of America lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.24.

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.