Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Boston Common Asset Management LLC

Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,705 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 34,586 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $18,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Materials by 56.0% during the second quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in Applied Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $203.96 on Friday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $129.21 and a 52-week high of $255.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $168.87 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $194.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.81.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 39.99% and a net margin of 27.74%. The firm had revenue of $6.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMAT shares. Mizuho reduced their price target on Applied Materials from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.90.

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.