Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Meridian Wealth Management LLC

Meridian Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,548 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,597 shares during the quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total transaction of $46,807.12. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $152.13 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $150.67 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $123.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid 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 1.05%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.38.

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.