Sebold Capital Management Inc. Has $295,000 Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Sebold Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 17.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,032 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the quarter. Sebold Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $29,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,580. The trade was a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $190.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $165.87 and its 200 day moving average is $163.65. The stock has a market cap of $152.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.69. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 22.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on AMAT. B. Riley reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Edward Jones raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.76.

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.