Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Position Boosted by Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd.

Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 116.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 260,000 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 140,000 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $42,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. First PREMIER Bank lifted its holdings in Applied Materials by 326.3% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $182.80 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $174.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.88. The firm has a market cap of $148.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. The company had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.71.

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.