Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 659,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 34,776 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Applied Materials worth $107,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 333.8% in the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 60.0% in the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 320 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $5.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $203.38. 3,933,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,553,379. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $109.15 and a one year high of $214.91. The company has a market capitalization of $168.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $203.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 15.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AMAT shares. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho raised their target price on Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.50.

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.