WoodTrust Financial Corp Sells 1,763 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

WoodTrust Financial Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 47,401 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,763 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 1.0% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Applied Materials Price Performance

Applied Materials stock traded up $3.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $235.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,387,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,592,667. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $218.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $195.56. The stock has a market cap of $195.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $129.21 and a 52 week 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.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The business had revenue of $6.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Applied Materials from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays raised shares of Applied Materials from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Raymond James upped their target price on Applied Materials from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.84.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,091,873.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Teri A. Little sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.62, for a total value of $554,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 76,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,890,103.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brice Hill sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 89,827 shares of company stock valued at $21,382,560. Company insiders own 0.29% 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.