Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Shares Down 5.9% on Insider Selling

Shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) were down 5.9% on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $215.79 and last traded at $217.27. Approximately 12,091,126 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 12,435,343 shares. The stock had previously closed at $231.00.

Specifically, insider Ava Harter sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.50, for a total value of $930,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 54,705 shares in the company, valued at $12,718,912.50. This trade represents a 6.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 40,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.22, for a total value of $9,284,542.38. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,054,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,654,642.64. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LRCX shares. New Street Research lifted their price target on shares of Lam Research from $195.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lam Research from $244.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Summit Insights upgraded Lam Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Lam Research from $165.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.19.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lam’s latest quarterly results and guidance remain supportive: the company beat EPS and revenue estimates last quarter and issued FY guidance that keeps the multi-quarter recovery narrative intact — a key reason many analysts remain constructive on the name. (Earnings/guidance from company filings and recent earnings release)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and analyst sentiment emphasize Lam’s outperformance versus semiconductor peers over the past year, helping underpin investor confidence in the stock’s secular positioning. How Is Lam Research’s Stock Performance Compared to Other Semiconductor Stocks?
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term bullish research highlights Lam as a core pick for investors focused on secular demand in logic and foundry tooling, reinforcing buy-and-hold interest. Why Lam Research (LRCX) is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference; presentations can reaffirm execution plans and demand cadence but did not disclose material new guidance that would immediately change the outlook. Investors will parse the transcript for color on order trends and capex timing. Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/commentary pieces suggest potential for further upside in the near term (price targets cited), but these are speculative and may amplify intraday volatility rather than change fundamentals. Lam Research (LRCX) Favors Final Push In To $262.9 – $280.8 Before Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CFO sold ~40,329 shares (~$9.3M) and another insider sold 4,000 shares (~$0.93M) in early March. Large, contemporaneous insider sales can spark short-term selling pressure and investor concern, even when insiders retain substantial positions. CFO Form 4 (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term performance data show the stock underperformed peers on Monday, which can trigger algorithmic and momentum selling into weakness. Lam Research Corp. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

Lam Research Stock Down 5.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $271.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.34.

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

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio is 21.31%.

Institutional Trading of Lam Research

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Lam Research by 1,032.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the first quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Lam Research by 32.8% in the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 5,169 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its holdings in Lam Research by 2.0% during the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 34,414 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,350,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in Lam Research by 1.5% during the second quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 18,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

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.