Flputnam Investment Management Co. Has $8.40 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,818 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $8,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 230 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 333.8% in the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $207.25. 322,128 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,149,999. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.59. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.00 and a 12-month high of $214.91.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.48 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AMAT. Bank Of America (Bofa) upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Applied Materials in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.50.

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.