Zhang Financial LLC Has $1.49 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 26.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,171 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,894 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at $33,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 326.3% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 592.9% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

AMAT stock opened at $192.05 on Monday. 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 52-week low of $156.78 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The company has a market capitalization of $156.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $173.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.95.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS 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 dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.95.

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.