Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Trading Up 1.9% After Analyst Upgrade

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) shares were up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $280.00 to $300.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $273.50 and last traded at $272.41. Approximately 8,387,876 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 11,533,455 shares. The stock had previously closed at $267.32.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on LRCX. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Lam Research from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, January 29th. New Street Research raised their target price on Lam Research from $140.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $262.00 target price on Lam Research and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Lam Research from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.94.

Insider Activity at Lam Research

In related news, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $57,235,848. The trade was a 12.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.03, for a total value of $11,214,269.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,081,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $242,334,371.15. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 130,886 shares of company stock valued at $29,658,802 in the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lam Research News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target on LRCX to $300 and kept a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst confidence and adding near-term buying support. Stifel adjusts price target on Lam Research to $300 from $280, maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage highlights Lam’s strong earnings-surprise history and conditions that suggest it could beat consensus again next quarter — bullish for sentiment ahead of the next report. Will Lam Research (LRCX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? Will Lam Research (LRCX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Broader semiconductor/AI infrastructure demand is pushing the sector toward all-time highs, lifting sentiment for leading equipment suppliers like Lam. That sector tailwind supports further upside if AI capex remains strong. The Semiconductor Sector Is Hitting All-Time Highs: 2 Stocks Leading the Charge (LRCX)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are highlighting tools (Zacks Earnings ESP) and screening techniques investors can use to identify potential earnings beats; this is informational and may modestly influence short-term flows around earnings. Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Computer and Technology Stocks Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage noting LRCX’s outperformance versus the broader market explains part of the rally but is mainly descriptive — useful context for momentum traders rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Lam Research (LRCX) Laps the Stock Market: Here’s Why Lam Research (LRCX) Laps the Stock Market: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts caution that LRCX has run up (~91% in six months per coverage) and now trades at a premium; that valuation risk could prompt profit-taking or slower gains if revenue/capex momentum softens. Should You Still Hold LRCX Stock Despite a 91% Rally in Six Months?

Institutional Trading of Lam Research

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bayban bought a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Trading Up 1.9%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.26. The stock has a market cap of $340.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.78.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Lam Research has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lam Research Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Lam Research’s payout ratio is presently 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.