Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) is slightly down in premarket on Monday even though it just raised its quarterly dividend to 40 cents per share.Applies Materials lifts dividend up by 25%Copy link to sectionThe new cash dividend represents a 25% increase on a year-over-year basis. Brice Hill – the chief of finance at $AMAT said in a press release today: Our latest dividend increase reflects our confidence in Applied Materials’ ability to generate profitable growth and strong free cash flow.The news arri ...