Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Bought by Citizens National Bank Trust Department

Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 34,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up 1.2% of Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $174.06 on Thursday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.96 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67. The company’s fifty day moving average is $175.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.05.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.50% and a net margin of 22.95%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.