Xponance Inc. Has $32.12 Million Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 197,490 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $32,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMAT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth about $37,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Applied Materials by 61.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $155.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.88. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.37 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The firm has a market cap of $126.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Applied Materials announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the manufacturing equipment provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. This is an increase from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Edward Jones raised Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Applied Materials from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.38.

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.