Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Purchased by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,518,655 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 376,191 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for approximately 0.9% of Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $306,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% in the 2nd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.29.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $173.02 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.57 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The stock has a market cap of $142.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $185.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.06.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.13. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. The firm had revenue of $7.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.58%.

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.