DLK Investment Management LLC Has $466,000 Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

DLK Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,259 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT traded down $1.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $232.68. 936,794 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,762,536. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.21 and a 12 month high of $249.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $192.65 billion, a PE ratio of 26.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $215.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.47.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.54 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.39%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total transaction of $4,446,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at $24,091,873.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $12,458,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 458,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $114,223,763.89. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.34, for a total value of $4,446,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,356 shares in the company, valued at $24,091,873.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 89,827 shares of company stock valued at $21,382,560. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Mizuho increased their price target on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, May 17th. B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.84.

About Applied Materials

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.