Global Retirement Partners LLC Has $1.39 Million Stock Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Global Retirement Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,544 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 89 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 592.9% in 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 period. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of AMAT opened at $171.98 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $175.59 and its 200-day moving average is $183.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given 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 0.93%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 20.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho dropped 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. KeyCorp raised shares of Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $164.00 target price (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $202.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. One research 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.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.38.

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.