Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Downgraded by Erste Group Bank to “Hold”

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) was downgraded by Erste Group Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on LRCX. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Lam Research from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Lam Research from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Monday, December 29th. New Street Research increased their target price on Lam Research from $140.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citic Securities boosted their price target on Lam Research from $165.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.35.

Lam Research Stock Performance

LRCX traded down $6.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $215.66. The stock had a trading volume of 926,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,797,609. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market cap of $269.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $227.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $183.95. Lam Research has a one year low of $56.32 and a one year high of $256.68.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.03, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 4.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total value of $7,896,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 253,705 shares in the company, valued at $57,235,848. This represents a 12.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 130,886 shares of company stock worth $29,658,802. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lam Research during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,645,427,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Lam Research by 352.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,695,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,344,347,000 after acquiring an additional 10,666,540 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Lam Research by 781.3% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,340,865 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,518,542,000 after acquiring an additional 10,053,978 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lam Research by 57.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,110,560 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,730,724,000 after acquiring an additional 3,671,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 235.5% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,199,441 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $890,040,000 after purchasing an additional 3,649,553 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increase — New Street Research boosted its price target to $235 (from $140) while keeping a “neutral” rating, signaling higher valuation expectations even as the rating stayed cautious. New Street adjusts price target on Lam Research
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/media coverage — Zacks and MSN ran feature pieces arguing LRCX is a top long-term holding based on sustained AI-driven semiconductor capex and favorable earnings trends, reinforcing buy-side interest. Why Lam Research (LRCX) is a top stock for the long term Zacks: Why Lam Research is a Top Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals & market positioning — Recent analysis (Seeking Alpha) highlights Lam as a critical supplier for AI-era chips, citing improved margins, tighter working capital and aggressive capacity expansion — supportive for medium/long-term revenue and margins. Lam Research: Poised For Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarter strength — Coverage noting that strong demand lifted Q4 results (beat on revenue and EPS) and management’s upbeat guidance/supporting margins remains a tailwind for sentiment. Strong Demand Lifted Lam Research in Q4
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly conference call scheduled — Lam set its March-quarter earnings webcast for April 22, giving investors a date to get updated guidance and management color; event-driven volatility is possible. Lam Research Announces March Quarter Financial Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market/sector context — Industry and market headlines (Applied Materials product pushes, broader market rally on geopolitical developments) can lift peers and flow into LRCX; these are market-driven rather than company-specific. AMAT Deepens its AI-Centric Product Expertise
• Negative Sentiment: Big investor trimming — Reporting shows Bridgewater/Ray Dalio trimmed its stake in LRCX after adding it to a 13F; large-fund rebalancing can pressure shares or signal profit-taking even if conviction remains. Lam Research: Billionaire Ray Dalio Trims Stake

Lam Research Company Profile

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.