Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Stock Price Up 3.5% on Analyst Upgrade

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) rose 3.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on the stock from $325.00 to $340.00. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $303.18 and last traded at $302.24. Approximately 9,137,197 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 10,933,826 shares. The stock had previously closed at $292.09.

LRCX has been the topic of several other research reports. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Monday, May 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Lam Research from $350.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Zacks Research lowered Lam Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Argus upped their price target on Lam Research from $175.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Lam Research from $295.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $293.46.

Insider Activity

In other Lam Research news, insider Ava Harter sold 6,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.66, for a total value of $1,554,546.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 53,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,762,005.30. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Neil J. Fernandes sold 18,170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.14, for a total value of $4,635,893.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 66,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,872,153.06. This trade represents a 21.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 120,066 shares of company stock valued at $27,953,242 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lam Research opened a new research lab in Salzburg, Austria, to advance chip-packaging technology aimed at increasing chip density and lowering costs, reinforcing its exposure to AI-driven demand for advanced packaging. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on LRCX to $340 from $325 and reiterated an outperform rating, while Morgan Stanley also upgraded the stock to overweight after increasing wafer fabrication equipment spending forecasts. MarketScreener article
• Positive Sentiment: Lam Research raised its wafer fabrication equipment outlook amid strong AI chip demand, with reports pointing to record revenue and EPS momentum in its latest quarter and continued strength in etch, deposition, and memory investments. Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: Technical traders are viewing LRCX positively after the shares crossed above the 20-day moving average, a sign of short-term bullish momentum. Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Lam Research as a key equipment supplier benefiting from the AI chip manufacturing boom and the broader rally in semiconductor equipment stocks. 247WallSt article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary compared LRCX with Applied Materials, noting that while Lam is tied to AI chip spending, some analysts still see cheaper valuations and software diversification as advantages for competitors. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: SpaceX’s IPO filing discussed Terafab partnership details with Tesla and Intel, but it does not appear to be a direct catalyst for Lam Research. Yahoo Finance article

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lam Research

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LRCX. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in Lam Research during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Bayban purchased a new stake in Lam Research in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Lam Research in the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lam Research by 242.9% in the first quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $250.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $213.69. The stock has a market cap of $377.97 billion, a PE ratio of 57.03, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.81.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.11. Lam Research had a return on equity of 66.21% and a net margin of 30.94%.The company had revenue of $5.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Lam Research has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.