Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Valeo Financial Advisors LLC

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,886 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. B. Riley upped their price objective on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at $24,091,873.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $1,597,650.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 78,712 shares in the company, valued at $16,767,230.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total transaction of $4,446,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,091,873.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 89,827 shares of company stock worth $21,382,560. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT opened at $243.31 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $201.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $129.21 and a fifty-two week high of $249.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $220.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.39%.

Applied Materials 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.