Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT is Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• Cornerstone Investment Partners increased its stake in Applied Materials by 5.6% in Q4 to 401,889 shares — about $103.28M — making AMAT its 7th largest holding and 4.0% of the firm's portfolio.
• Applied Materials beat Q1 estimates (non‑GAAP EPS $2.38 vs $2.21; revenue $7.01B vs $6.88B), set Q2 guidance of $2.44–$2.84, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annual $2.12, ~0.5% yield).
• Insiders sold 12,003 shares (~$4.48M) over the last three months, even as analysts lifted price targets and issued mostly Buy/Overweight ratings (average target ≈ $368.29).

Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 401,889 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 21,395 shares during the quarter. Applied Materials comprises 4.0% of Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Applied Materials worth $103,281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grandfield & Dodd LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $55,180,000 after buying an additional 17,397 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after purchasing an additional 145,050 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 17,288 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after purchasing an additional 12,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Judy Bruner sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.71, for a total transaction of $979,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,219,322.19. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Adam Sanders sold 534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.16, for a total value of $202,471.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,753,615. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,003 shares of company stock valued at $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT stock opened at $417.00 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.71 and a 52-week high of $420.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $366.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $302.28.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.17. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 27.78%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. Applied Materials's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.440-2.840 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio is 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $315.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $360.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank raised Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $450.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Applied Materials from $350.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.29.

Applied Materials News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and DRAM strength — Applied beat estimates (non-GAAP EPS $2.38 vs $2.21) and reported record DRAM revenue now ~34% of Semiconductor Systems revenue, supporting a stronger memory-driven growth outlook. Philippe Laffont's Coatue Is Betting Billions on These 3 AI Stocks. Here's Why Smart Money Sees AI Dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla terafab participation — Applied joined Tesla’s Terafab project, a potential validation of AMAT’s equipment roadmap and a source of future equipment orders if Tesla scales fabs. Applied Materials Just Joined the Tesla Terafab Project. Does That Make AMAT Stock a Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish endorsements — Jim Cramer publicly called AMAT “a great buy,” and buy-side interest (e.g., Coatue) draws retail and institutional attention that can support momentum. Jim Cramer on Applied Materials: “It’s Not a Good Buy, It’s a Great Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street and sector tailwinds — Analysts and industry write-ups expect double-digit EPS growth next quarter and highlight semiconductor/AI-driven demand (especially for memory/DRAM), which benefits AMAT’s equipment backlog and margin outlook. What to Expect From Applied Materials' Q2 2026 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Industry buy lists and thematic coverage — AMAT appears on semiconductor/AI-themed buy lists (Zacks, industry commentaries) as investors favor companies exposed to AI, ML and memory demand. 3 Stocks to Buy From the Prospering Semiconductor Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings date set — Applied will report fiscal Q2 2026 results on May 14; the event is a clear near-term catalyst but outcome/tone will determine direction. Applied Materials to Report Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Results on May 14, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative upside narratives — Coverage arguing AMAT could be a trillion-dollar company candidate is bullish headline-grabbing speculation but depends on sustained margin and end-market expansion. Applied Materials (AMAT): Analyzing the Next Stock to Breach the Trillion Dollar Barrier
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data anomaly — a report shows a “large increase” but lists zero shares and NaN changes; likely a data glitch rather than actionable short-squeeze signal. (source: short interest report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Misc. buy/sell write-ups — Multiple “is AMAT a buy?” pieces and commentaries summarize bull cases; they reinforce investor interest but add no new company-specific catalysts. Is Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials' offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.

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