Analysts Upgrades Report: Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) received a stock rating upgrade from Exane BNP Paribas on Mar-31-16. In a note to investors, the firm issued an Outperform rating. The analysts previously had an Underperform rating on the stock.

Analysts have a consensus target price of $21.68 in the 12-month period. The price objective is 2.36% higher than the recent closing price of $21.18. The 52-week price range is $14.09-$22.27 and the company has a market capitalization of $23.95 billion. Analysts covering the shares maintain a consensus Strong Buy rating, according to Zacks Investment Research. Zero analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, 4 has assigned a hold rating, 1 says it’s a buy, and 9 have assigned a strong buy rating to the company.

Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) on March 10, 2016 announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share payable on the company`s common stock. The dividend is payable on June 16, 2016 to stockholders of record as of May 26, 2016.

Additionally, on March 7, 2016 (AMAT) announced it has been recognized as a 2016 World`s Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

“We strive to maintain a high ethical standard in every interaction with employees, customers, suppliers, competitors and the public,” said Steve Adams, vice president, Ethics and Compliance at Applied Materials. “It is an honor to be recognized for fostering a culture of ethics and transparency throughout the company for the fifth consecutive year.”

Applied Materials is one of only six companies recognized in the Electronic Components & Semiconductors category, underscoring its commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices.

“We commend Applied Materials for consistently maintaining a strong ethics program that is engrained into the company`s culture,” said Ethisphere`s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. “Our data shows companies like Applied that demonstrate leadership in areas including citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees.”

The World`s Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute`s Ethics Quotient(TM) (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere`s World`s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company`s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way.

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