Marco Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Marco Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,240 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $5,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 115.0% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,049 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,892 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 91.0% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,614 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 2,198 shares during the last quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $1,126,000. Finally, Precision Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in Applied Materials by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $502,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $5.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $203.38. 3,933,453 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,553,379. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $203.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.98. The firm has a market cap of $168.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.91. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.15 and a 52 week high of $214.91.

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

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 15.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AMAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Applied Materials from $180.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on 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 started coverage on Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised Applied Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $220.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.