Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Price Target Cut to $190.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) had its price target decreased by Barclays from $200.00 to $190.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. 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. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $216.10.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $169.20 on Friday. Applied Materials has a twelve month low of $158.96 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $137.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $175.44 and a 200-day moving average of $184.84.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Materials

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wahed Invest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 20,875 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,395,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $786,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,971,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,302,000. Finally, Eagle Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 1,959 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

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.