Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Position Reduced by Winthrop Advisory Group LLC

Winthrop Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,853 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 165 shares during the period. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% in 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 period. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $194.09 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $191.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $160.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.61 and a 12 month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. StockNews.com cut Applied Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Dbs Bank cut Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Susquehanna reduced 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. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eight equities research 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.