<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of  Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 39.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 300,020 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 85,037 shares during the period. Applied Materials accounts for  2.1% of Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $43,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Applied Materials</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>AI Chip Arms Race: 3 Must-Watch Equipment Stocks</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of  Applied Materials by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 16,004 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $2,603,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter.  Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of  Applied Materials by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,674 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter.  Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Applied Materials by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,530 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the period.  Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of  Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $833,000.  Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Applied Materials by 201.3% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,510 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  80.56% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Thursday. They set a &#34;buy&#34; rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo &amp; Company lifted their target price on Applied Materials from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a report on Tuesday. Rothschild &amp; Co Redburn lowered Applied Materials from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday. B. Riley cut their price objective on Applied Materials from $250.00 to $215.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned  a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Materials currently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $203.65.</p><ul><li>Micron’s Big Q3 Drives Applied Materials’ Bullish Outlook</li></ul><p><b>Get Our Latest Research Report on Applied Materials</b></p><h2>Insider Activity at Applied Materials</h2><p>In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. </p><h2>Applied Materials Stock Up 0.9%</h2><ul><li>Update! What Is Congress Trading So Far In 2025? </li></ul><p>NASDAQ:AMAT traded up $1.67 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $197.06. The company had a trading volume of 617,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,085,794. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.95, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.69. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $170.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.56. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.74 and a 12-month high of $255.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. </p><p>Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.12 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS.  On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that  Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Applied Materials Announces Dividend</h2><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio  is currently 22.38%. </p><h2>About Applied Materials</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Applied Materials</li><li>3 Tickers Leading a Meme Stock Revival</li><li>Are Growth Stocks Back? 3 That Look Like Winners to Buy Now</li><li>What is the MACD Indicator and How to Use it in Your Trading</li><li>Why Microsoft Keeps Showing Up in Congressional Portfolios</li><li>What is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)?</li><li>Enovix Shares Hit 6-Month High; Long-Term Highs to Follow</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QU1BVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QU1BVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Applied Materials Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Applied Materials, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Applied Materials wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Applied Materials currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

AMAT

<p>Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 39.6% in Q1, owning 300,020 shares valued at $43.54 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their positions. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus target price of $203.65. Recently, Applied Materials' stock rose 0.9% to $197.06, with a market cap of $158.14 billion and a P/E ratio of 23.95.</p>

Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)