Zacks Research Upgrades Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) to “Strong-Buy”

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on LRCX. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $265.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Lam Research in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Lam Research from $160.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $127.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lam Research presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.33.

Lam Research Stock Performance

LRCX stock traded down $7.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $220.75. The stock had a trading volume of 3,209,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,564,514. The firm has a market capitalization of $277.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.90. Lam Research has a 52 week low of $56.32 and a 52 week high of $236.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. Lam Research had a return on equity of 60.60% and a net margin of 29.66%.The company’s revenue was up 27.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lam Research will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lam Research

In related news, insider Ava Harter sold 9,010 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.47, for a total transaction of $1,418,804.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 56,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,942,091.42. The trade was a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 40,080 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.60, for a total value of $6,036,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 987,237 shares in the company, valued at $148,677,892.20. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,418 shares of company stock valued at $7,667,305. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lam Research

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in Lam Research by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Financial Consulate Inc. increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 2,157 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 931 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in Lam Research by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,060 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Lam Research by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,099 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $873,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. 84.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Lam Research

Here are the key news stories impacting Lam Research this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded LRCX from “hold” to “strong-buy,” a direct buy-side catalyst that can attract momentum flows and retail attention. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added LRCX to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum list, which tends to increase short-term buying interest from quant and momentum strategies. Zacks Momentum List
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst notes (Benzinga roundup) and a headline suggesting a potential ~17% rally have fueled bullish expectations and higher price targets. Benzinga Analyst Roundup
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary (Zacks) highlights LRCX outperforming the broader market, reinforcing the narrative of outperformance into earnings. Zacks Outperformance Note
• Positive Sentiment: Industry analysis (Seeking Alpha) argues Lam benefits as chip architectures evolve (“chips go vertical”), supporting a longer-term growth thesis tied to equipment demand. Seeking Alpha Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer called Lam “the best of the best,” a high-profile endorsement, but he cautioned against buying parabolic moves — a mixed signal that can increase volatility. MSN / Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Lam is expected to report earnings soon (scheduling/expectations are being watched), a near-term event that typically drives directional moves on guidance. Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns after an ~176% one?year run prompted an article asking whether it’s too late to buy; that narrative supports profit-taking and can pressure the stock near a peak. Yahoo Valuation Piece

About Lam Research

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a global supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Founded in 1980 by David K. Lam and headquartered in Fremont, California, the company develops and manufactures systems used in multiple stages of semiconductor device production, including thin film deposition, plasma etch, wafer cleaning and related process modules and automation.

Lam’s product portfolio covers core process technologies employed by logic and memory manufacturers, with equipment designed to support advanced-node patterning, 3D NAND and other emerging device architectures.