J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 446 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 2.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,807 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 446 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the 2nd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $186.52 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $129.21 and a 52 week high of $255.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $193.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.86. The firm has a market cap of $154.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.54.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The company had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 16th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. B. Riley decreased their target price on Applied Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Dbs Bank lowered Applied Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.14.

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.