Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is First Community Trust NA’s 5th Largest Position

First Community Trust NA grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 40,258 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 265 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises about 4.7% of First Community Trust NA’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. First Community Trust NA’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $6,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 61.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.24.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $173.65 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.84 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $141.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The business had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.