Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 30.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,048,864 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 469,791 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials accounts for 0.5% of Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.13% of Applied Materials worth $170,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,497,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $1,588,422,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $2,696,000. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 83,064 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,509,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 17,476 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,842,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $194.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho cut 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 note on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

Applied Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $147.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $119.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.37 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $168.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a boost 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 is presently 24.05%.

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

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.