Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Bedel Financial Consulting Inc.

Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,727 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 329 shares during the quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $152.13 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $175.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.67 and a 52 week high of $255.89.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $215.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.