Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after Susquehanna raised their price target on the stock from $325.00 to $350.00. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $258.44 and last traded at $256.8430, with a volume of 5127075 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $246.49.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Lam Research from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, New Street Research boosted their price target on shares of Lam Research from $140.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lam Research news, insider Ava Harter sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.66, for a total transaction of $333,990.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 53,205 shares in the company, valued at $11,846,625.30. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total transaction of $7,896,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 253,705 shares in the company, valued at $57,235,848. This trade represents a 12.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 130,886 shares of company stock worth $29,658,802. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $350 and kept a “positive” rating — a clear near-term catalyst that boosts upside expectations and helps explain buying interest. Susquehanna price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analyst support (Morgan Stanley and other upgrades) and coverage noting Lam’s growth profile are driving momentum and inflows. Recent item-level upgrades pushed sentiment across the sell‑side more positive. Morgan Stanley forecast / analyst upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals supporting the rally: Q2 fiscal 2026 revenue beat and management commentary on AI-driven demand. Investors are treating Lam as a core beneficiary of stronger capex for advanced logic/AI chips. Q2 results and AI demand summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and momentum are in focus — multiple pieces reassess LRCX after a large one‑year run (questions about whether the rally is fully priced). That keeps trading volatile even as fundamentals look strong. Valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market swings tied to geopolitical headlines (US–Iran ceasefire optimism ebbing) are creating mixed tape conditions for tech stocks; macro noise can amplify intra‑day moves in LRCX. Market context – US‑Iran ceasefire news
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling has been reported (multiple executives selling sizable blocks), which some investors view as a cautionary sign despite institutional buying elsewhere. Insider selling details
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded LRCX from “strong-buy” to “hold,” highlighting that not all research houses see further near-term upside and reinforcing the valuation risk narrative. Zacks downgrade

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LRCX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Lam Research by 1,032.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,189 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,025,000 after acquiring an additional 12,936 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Lam Research during the first quarter valued at $239,000. Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new position in Lam Research during the second quarter valued at $253,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new position in Lam Research during the second quarter valued at $318,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 2.7% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 100,528 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,661 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Trading Up 5.0%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $227.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.03. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $323.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.02, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.78.

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

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

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.