Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. Has $388,000 Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,918 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 156 shares during the quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Down 10.7 %

AMAT stock opened at $191.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.96, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.54. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $129.21 and a fifty-two week high of $255.89. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $195.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.72.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Dbs Bank downgraded Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.14.

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.