Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Acquired by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,242 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,466 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $155.68 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $126.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $149.55 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. Equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on AMAT. Susquehanna increased their price target on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

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.