J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Buys 492 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,253 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total value of $2,325,559.55. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,639,630.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $12,458,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 458,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,223,763.89. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,827 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.65, for a total transaction of $2,325,559.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,639,630.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on AMAT shares. Barclays upgraded Applied Materials from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $165.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. B. Riley reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $223.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.95.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock opened at $188.47 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $129.21 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $204.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.71. 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 stock has a market cap of $155.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.55.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 39.99%. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

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.