Fisher Asset Management LLC Purchases 40,581 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,295,324 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,581 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $535,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,052.88. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $158.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.67. The company has a market cap of $128.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $175.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.03. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.95 and a 52-week high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued 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 1.01%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $164.00 price target (down previously from $179.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.38.

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.