Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Trading Up 4.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) traded up 4.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday after HSBC raised their price target on the stock from $127.00 to $181.00. HSBC currently has a hold rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $229.57 and last traded at $217.47. 15,223,097 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 14,970,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $208.79.

A number of other research firms have also commented on LRCX. New Street Research increased their price objective on Lam Research from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $260.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Lam Research from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Lam Research from $80.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Twenty-eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.55.

Insider Activity at Lam Research

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

More Lam Research News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on Lam to $225 and kept a Buy rating, signaling stronger analyst conviction. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts Lam Research price target to $225 from $150, maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus boosted its Lam price target to $250 (from $160) and reiterated a Buy, citing stronger WFE demand — a large upward revision that supports higher upside expectations. LRCX Lam Research price target raised by Stifel
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its Lam price target to $245, another major house increasing its valuation — reinforcing the analyst-driven momentum behind the stock. Bank of America Increases Lam Research Price Target to $245
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgraded LRCX to Buy, arguing a WFE “supercycle” (revised wafer-fab spending +10–15% YoY) raises sales, EBITDA and FCF forecasts — analyst base-case PT cited near $247 with a bullish scenario higher. Lam Research: Why The WFE Supercycle Changes The Valuation (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Industry and market coverage point to a stronger WFE backdrop — Stifel and others forecast up to ~15% WFE spending growth in 2026, which directly benefits equipment suppliers like Lam. WFE spending forecast to grow up to 15% in 2026: Stifel
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s and market coverage note that TSMC’s heavy capex is boosting suppliers (ASML, Lam, AMAT), lending fundamental tailwinds to Lam’s order and revenue outlook. ASML, Lam Research, Applied Materials Surge. Why Chip Stocks Are Getting a Boost.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published momentum-style coverage assessing LRCX as a strong momentum candidate given recent gains; useful for timing/rotation but less directly informative on fundamentals. What Makes Lam Research (LRCX) a Strong Momentum Stock: Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: General analyst-coverage summaries are highlighting broad Street optimism; these stories can amplify moves but are repetitive of the price-target/upgrade news. Why Is Lam Research Stock Soaring Thursday?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks flags a potential headwind: Lam’s China revenue may fall below 30% in 2026 due to export controls, which could pressure near-term growth if non-China demand doesn’t fully offset the decline. Will LRCX’s China Revenue Drop Below 30% Hurt 2026 Growth Outlook?

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lam Research

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lam Research in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Lam Research during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Lam Research by 73.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 240 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the second quarter worth $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $273.15 billion, a PE ratio of 47.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $170.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.11.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.04. Lam Research had a net margin of 29.66% and a return on equity of 60.60%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. Lam Research has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.91%.

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.