Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by HM Payson & Co.

HM Payson & Co. raised its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,497 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $155.68 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $149.55 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company’s 50 day moving average is $173.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $126.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 20.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 target price (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.38.

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.