Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC

Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC lessened its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,608 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 283 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up approximately 2.4% of Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.05.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

AMAT stock opened at $192.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $159.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.16. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.21 and a 1-year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company 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 firm earned $1.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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 given 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 0.83%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.39%.

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.