Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Trading Up 2.5% After Analyst Upgrade
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyShares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) were up 2.5% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company upgraded the stock from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating. Wells Fargo & Company now has a $250.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $145.00. Lam Research traded as high as $225.69 and last traded at $222.96. Approximately 14,347,767 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 14,916,134 shares. The stock had previously closed at $217.47.
Several other research firms also recently commented on LRCX. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on shares of Lam Research from $122.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Lam Research from $127.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Lam Research in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Lam Research from $160.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.55.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Lam Research
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, insider Ava Harter sold 9,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.47, for a total transaction of $1,418,804.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 56,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,942,091.42. This trade represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 1,298 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total value of $207,667.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,303.48. This trade represents a 44.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,418 shares of company stock worth $7,667,305. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.
Lam Research News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Lam Research this week:
- Positive Sentiment: TSMC’s $52–$56 billion 2026 CapEx plan for 2nm/advanced-node fabs is expected to produce large, unavoidable equipment orders for suppliers that enable 3D stacking and deep etch processes — capabilities where Lam Research is a market leader. TSMC’s $56B AI Bet Just Made These 3 Stocks Millionaire Makers
- Positive Sentiment: Heavy analyst bullishness: Wells Fargo upgraded LRCX to Overweight with a $250 PT (big raise from $145), Stifel and others raised targets to ~$245–$250, and Rothschild/Redburn moved their PT to $225 — actions that amplify buy-side demand and support a higher trading multiple. Wells Fargo upgrade / The Fly Stifel raises PT
- Positive Sentiment: Research upgrades and thematic write-ups (Seeking Alpha, Zacks, Barron’s) are re-rating Lam on a “WFE supercycle” thesis driven by AI-related memory and logic capacity expansion — supporting higher revenue, margins and free cash flow forecasts. Why The WFE Supercycle Changes The Valuation (Seeking Alpha)
- Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media/analyst pieces (Zacks, Benzinga, Barron’s) highlight momentum and growth scores for LRCX, but these are largely sentiment-confirming rather than new fundamental data; investors will watch actual order flow and company guidance next. Zacks: Here’s Why Lam Research is a Strong Growth Stock
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sava Infond d.o.o. increased its holdings in Lam Research by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 75,250 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $7,325,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Lam Research by 30.9% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 144,656 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $19,369,000 after purchasing an additional 34,147 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the second quarter worth $389,000. Genus Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the 2nd quarter valued at $14,476,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Lam Research by 34.4% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 31,922 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,274,000 after buying an additional 8,172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.
Lam Research Price Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company has a market cap of $280.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $170.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.11.
Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.04. Lam Research had a return on equity of 60.60% and a net margin of 29.66%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business’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, analysts anticipate that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Lam Research Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Lam Research’s payout ratio 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.