Lam Research Corporation $LRCX Holdings Raised by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 140,433 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 10,408 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Lam Research were worth $18,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lam Research by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,501 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,548,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Gold Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Lam Research by 0.5% during the third quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 14,736 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in Lam Research by 4.3% in the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,731 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Lam Research by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 22,838 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,058,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natural Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 3,408 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories 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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 40,080 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.60, for a total transaction of $6,036,048.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 987,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $148,677,892.20. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ava Harter sold 9,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.47, for a total value of $1,418,804.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 56,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,942,091.42. This represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,418 shares of company stock worth $7,667,305. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho set a $220.00 target price on Lam Research and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Lam Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Lam Research from $122.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $160.00) on shares of Lam Research in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.52.

Lam Research Stock Performance

Lam Research stock opened at $217.94 on Friday. Lam Research Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $56.32 and a fifty-two week high of $236.10. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap 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 (NASDAQ:LRCX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Lam Research Dividend Announcement

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

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.