Fortem Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Fortem Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,537 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 367 shares during the quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AMAT. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Up 4.6 %

Applied Materials stock traded up $7.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $177.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,677,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,118,389. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.24 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $174.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.66.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price objective (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.29.

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.