Financial Security Advisor Inc. Has $286,000 Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Financial Security Advisor Inc. cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,414 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. Financial Security Advisor Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalina Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $326,000. Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in Applied Materials by 3.5% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 184,011 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,179,000 after acquiring an additional 6,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 47.6% in the third quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,501 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $186.48 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $139.21 and a one year high of $255.89. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $153.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.95, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.56.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its 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 analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 17.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.14.

Applied Materials Company 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.