Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC Boosts Position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,161 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,165 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials makes up about 1.8% of Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Greater Midwest Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $2,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,490,874 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $351,831,000 after purchasing an additional 117,793 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. grew its position in shares of Applied Materials by 2.2% in the second quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. now owns 259,548 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $61,619,000 after purchasing an additional 5,488 shares during the period. Delta Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 13.9% in the second quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 35.1% during the second quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC now owns 381 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $245,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $190.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.51. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.96 and a 1 year high of $255.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $173.55 and a 200-day moving average of $189.91. The company has a market cap of $155.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.53.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 39.26%. Applied Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.71.

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.