Larson Financial Group LLC Has $9.21 Million Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Larson Financial Group LLC reduced its holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,811 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 497 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $9,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kaizen Financial Strategies boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies now owns 3,733 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp now owns 1,721 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,894 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,343 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $601,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMAT traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $189.46. 7,147,502 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,214,718. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.15 and a 1 year high of $214.91. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $202.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.59.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.03% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The business had revenue of $6.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.50.

About Applied Materials

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.