KLCM Advisors Inc. Boosts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

KLCM Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 69.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,438 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,406 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Bank Of America (Bofa) raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.50.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded down $9.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $199.91. 3,347,200 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,156,729. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.12 and a 1 year high of $214.91. The company has a market capitalization of $166.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $201.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.06%.

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.