Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Unison Asset Management LLC

Unison Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,151 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 790 shares during the period. Applied Materials comprises about 2.5% of Unison Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Unison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Applied Materials by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $180.00 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $158.96 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $175.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.71.

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.