Opinicus Capital Inc. Invests $1.13 Million in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Opinicus Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,950 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,126,000. Applied Materials accounts for about 1.1% of Opinicus Capital Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AMAT. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 149.4% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 444 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 3,075 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $405,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Applied Materials by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 296,277 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $41,020,000 after purchasing an additional 3,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC increased its position in Applied Materials by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AMAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $180.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $185.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.50.

Applied Materials Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of AMAT stock traded up $5.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $203.38. 3,933,453 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,553,379. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $203.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.15 and a fifty-two week high of $214.91. The company has a market capitalization of $168.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.71.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.23. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 27.03%. The firm had revenue of $6.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.48 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.06%.

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.