Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $369.68 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lowered its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,566,523 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 73,899 shares during the period. Applied Materials makes up approximately 0.7% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.19% of Applied Materials worth $369,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. JT Stratford LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 0.4% during the first quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 10,890 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 924 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 1,556 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 4,016 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

AMAT opened at $192.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $159.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $129.21 and a twelve month high of $255.89. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $198.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $210.16.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Dbs Bank cut shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.05.

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.