Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Beech Hill Advisors Inc.

Beech Hill Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,198 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 2.2% of Beech Hill Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Beech Hill Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its position in Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT traded up $6.63 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $185.01. 1,371,347 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,292,965. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.74. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.20 and a twelve month high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 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, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $218.24.

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.