Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 4,700 Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,700 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $950,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMAT. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. PSI Advisors LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Applied Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 326.3% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 162 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $182.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $190.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.86. The stock has a market cap of $150.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a one year low of $141.94 and a one year high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.90 earnings per share. Applied Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 17.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on AMAT. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Applied Materials from $240.00 to $217.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.24.

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.