Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Has $4.09 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 25,119 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 778 shares during the quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $4,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $180.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.01 billion, a PE ratio of 21.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.96 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $175.20 and its 200-day moving average is $184.87.

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

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.00.

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.