Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 252,562 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 47.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 281,381 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 252,562 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,032,850 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,389,048,000 after acquiring an additional 456,865 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Applied Materials by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,995,287 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,383,848,000 after buying an additional 570,080 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Applied Materials by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,017,147 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $813,129,000 after buying an additional 130,238 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,968,838 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $687,936,000 after buying an additional 230,789 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Applied Materials by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,494,928 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $728,493,000 after acquiring an additional 66,923 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of Applied Materials stock opened at $217.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $205.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.58. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.18 and a 12 month high of $225.07.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.54 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 22nd. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 18.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $142.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Applied Materials from $222.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, B. Riley increased their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.64.

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.