Root Financial Partners LLC Invests $236,000 in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,450 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 13.9% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 223,520 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,910,000 after acquiring an additional 27,348 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,244,566 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $857,615,000 after acquiring an additional 108,827 shares during the last quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter worth $400,000. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 8.1% during the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 2,140 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 11.0% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 8,633 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 8.2 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $169.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $137.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $175.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.84.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 20.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AMAT. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 target price (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.10.

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.