Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC Purchases Shares of 1,872 Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,872 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $303,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 76.9% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth $39,000. L2 Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 795.0% in the third quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 29,606 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 26,298 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank Of America (Bofa) raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $220.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, April 8th. Raymond James increased their price target on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.50.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $6.18 on Friday, hitting $204.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,818,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,695,384. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $111.72 and a 12 month high of $214.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $203.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market capitalization of $169.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.58.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.06%.

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.