Capital Investment Counsel Inc Takes Position in Lam Research Corporation $LRCX

Capital Investment Counsel Inc bought a new position in shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 16,754 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,243,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lam Research in the second quarter valued at about $1,894,585,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Lam Research by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 40,622,437 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,954,188,000 after purchasing an additional 5,102,589 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 34.1% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,594,574 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,029,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692,189 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 35.4% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 9,849,868 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $958,786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575,456 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Lam Research by 103.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 3,049,460 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $296,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550,842 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lam Research news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 40,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.60, for a total value of $6,036,048.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 987,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $148,677,892.20. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 1,298 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total value of $207,667.02. Following the sale, the director owned 1,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,303.48. This trade represents a 44.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,418 shares of company stock worth $7,667,305. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on LRCX shares. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Lam Research from $80.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $195.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Lam Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.52.

Lam Research Price Performance

LRCX stock opened at $217.94 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $178.08 and a 200-day moving average of $141.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.77. Lam Research Corporation has a 12 month low of $56.32 and a 12 month high of $236.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. Lam Research’s revenue was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lam Research Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded LRCX to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), a move that typically attracts momentum flows and retail/institutional attention; the upgrade is being cited as a catalyst for optimism about near-term earnings and price momentum. Lam Research (LRCX) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks) and coverage notes point to strong AI-chip demand and rising DRAM spending that should help LRCX beat Q2 estimates, supporting upside expectations for revenue and margins. LRCX Likely to Beat Q2 Earnings Estimates: Should You Buy the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage highlights AI-driven momentum (a recent piece notes the stock jumped on AI buzz and tariff news), which can attract short-term buyers and program trades. Why Lam Research (LRCX) Is Up 5.0% After AI Buzz And Tariff Jitters Hit Spotlight
• Neutral Sentiment: New Street raised its price target to $195 (from $140) but kept a “neutral” rating — the higher target signals improving fundamental views, but the maintained neutral limits the endorsement strength for further rallies. New Street Adjusts Lam Research Price Target to $195 From $140; Maintains Neutral Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile mentions (e.g., Jim Cramer calling LRCX “the best of the best” while warning about buying parabolic moves) can boost credibility but also encourage caution among momentum-sensitive traders. Jim Cramer calls Lam Research the “best of the best” but warns against buying parabolic moves
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put-option volume: traders bought ~87,781 puts (about +129% vs. average), a sharp rise in bearish/options-hedging activity that can signal investor risk-off, price protection flows, or speculative bearish bets — all of which can add downward pressure or volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Relative weakness vs. peers: coverage notes that LRCX underperformed competitors on Thursday, a datapoint traders watch for leadership shifts within the semiconductor equipment group and to gauge rotation risk. Lam Research Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors

Lam Research 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.