World Investment Advisors Has $4.35 Million Stock Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 171.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,733 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,888 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Trading Down 8.3 %

NASDAQ AMAT opened at $135.51 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.40 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $163.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $110.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.05%.

Applied Materials declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the manufacturing equipment provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $214.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.83, for a total value of $65,173.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,077 shares in the company, valued at $880,131.91. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.