Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Trading 3.9% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) shares shot up 3.9% on Wednesday after New Street Research raised their price target on the stock from $140.00 to $235.00. New Street Research currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $225.50 and last traded at $222.01. 10,668,970 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 11,977,512 shares. The stock had previously closed at $213.66.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Lam Research from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lam Research from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $175.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.35.

Insider Transactions at Lam Research

In other Lam Research news, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total transaction of $7,896,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 253,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,235,848. The trade was a 12.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.03, for a total value of $11,214,269.71. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1,081,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,334,371.15. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 130,886 shares of company stock worth $29,658,802 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Lam Research News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target lift — New Street Research raised its price target to $235 from $140 (while keeping a “neutral” rating), signalling higher near?term valuation expectations that can support the stock. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Positive fundamental commentary — Recent analyst pieces and research note Lam as a long?term winner from AI-driven semiconductor investment, highlighting strong margins, inventory/cash?cycle improvements and capacity expansion that support higher profitability. Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Solid recent operating/earnings backdrop — Coverage notes strong Q4 demand and improved results (revenue and margins), which underpin investor confidence in the company’s ability to capture AI and foundry capex. Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly conference call set for April 22 — Management will host the March?quarter call and webcast; investors will look for guidance detail and order trends. Timing of commentary can cause near?term volatility but is routine. PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector momentum — Broader AI and memory demand stories (e.g., Micron) are lifting semiconductor equipment sentiment, a tailwind for Lam but not company?specific news. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Helium / critical?gas supply risk — Reports flag a Middle East helium shock that could constrain semiconductor gas supplies; disruptions would hurt Lam’s ability to service customers and could pressure delivery/timing. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and industry R&D moves — Rivals like Applied Materials are deepening AI?centric product portfolios; competition and faster innovation cycles can affect share and margin dynamics over time. Yahoo Finance – AMAT

Institutional Trading of Lam Research

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management grew its holdings in Lam Research by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 245 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lam Research by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its stake in shares of Lam Research by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 428 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 4,615 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $790,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $795,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $277.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.49, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $227.18 and a 200 day moving average of $183.68.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.10. Lam Research had a return on equity of 62.81% and a net margin of 30.22%.The firm had revenue of $5.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Lam Research’s quarterly revenue was up 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. Lam Research has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Lam Research’s payout ratio is 21.31%.

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.