Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 7,200 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

04 Apr 2025, 07:27 by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat Gem

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) by 84.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,330 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 7,200 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AMAT. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 61.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 213 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $135.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $110.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $163.39 and its 200 day moving average is $175.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.40 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.10. Applied Materials had a net margin of 22.95% and a return on equity of 39.50%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Applied Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.05%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Applied Materials from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Applied Materials from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Edward Jones raised shares of Applied Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $214.67.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AMAT

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 271 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.72, for a total value of $46,807.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,052.88. This represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Materials

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