Brokerages Set Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) PT at $220.29

Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $220.29.

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lantz Financial LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $212,000. LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 140.1% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 917 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 24.3% during the second quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 8,952 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 20.6% in the second quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 3,759 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 5,954 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $168.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $137.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $177.78 and its 200-day moving average is $198.77. 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 has a 1-year low of $148.05 and a 1-year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Applied Materials will post 9.48 earnings per share 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 given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.