Veracity Capital LLC Increases Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Veracity Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,466 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the quarter. Veracity Capital LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $296,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 16.9% during the third quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,095 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP boosted its position in Applied Materials by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 6,229 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,259,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 2,592 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $186.36 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $154.30 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $195.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.23. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $129.21 and a 1 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The business had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $224.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.14.

About Applied Materials

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.