Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Jump Financial LLC

Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 69.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,829 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,986 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Up 2.0 %

AMAT opened at $138.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.96. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.74 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.69.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.05%.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $202.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.86.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,716,058 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $235,614,763.40. This trade represents a 3.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total value of $65,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,131.91. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.