Everpar Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Everpar Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,709 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Gary E. Dickerson bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $137.30 per share, for a total transaction of $6,865,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,716,058 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $235,614,763.40. This represents a 3.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, B. Riley reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.29.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $170.59 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $156.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.20. The company has a market capitalization of $136.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.67. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.74 and a 52 week high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 22.38%.

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.