Buckhead Capital Management LLC Acquires 200 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Buckhead Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,642 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Buckhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Applied Materials by 592.9% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $184.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $149.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $175.20 and a 200 day moving average of $184.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.96 and a 12 month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.26% and a net margin of 26.41%. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna raised their price target on Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.00.

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.