Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) Downgraded by Dbs Bank

Dbs Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday, Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, B. Riley decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $232.00.

Applied Materials Trading Up 5.7 %

Applied Materials stock opened at $196.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.86. The stock has a market cap of $162.87 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $199.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $210.28. Applied Materials has a one year low of $129.21 and a one year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.39%.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.