Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Stock Price Up 7% on Analyst Upgrade

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX)’s share price was up 7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $170.00 to $241.00. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $239.50 and last traded at $238.46. Approximately 11,857,319 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 13,693,148 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.87.

LRCX has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays set a $195.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Lam Research from $80.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Hsbc Global Res raised Lam Research to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $175.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lam Research has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 40,080 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $148,677,892.20. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 1,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 41,408 shares of company stock worth $6,248,501 in the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lam Research News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat consensus — Lam reported $1.27 EPS vs. $1.17 expected and $5.34B revenue vs. $5.23B expected, with margins and ROE notably strong (y/y revenue +22%). Lam Research (LRCX) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q3 guidance: EPS guide $1.25–1.45 (above $1.20 consensus) and revenue guide $5.4–6.0B (above ~$5.3B consensus) — investors view this as confirmation of stronger WFE demand. Lam Research Corporation Reports Financial Results for the Quarter Ended December 28, 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Management and news outlets cite rising enterprise orders and strong chipmaking-tool demand underpinning the upbeat forecast — a demand-driven beat/guide is taken as durable upside for revenue visibility. Lam Research forecasts strong quarterly results on chipmaking tool demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst interest and upgrades: coverage notes (including Evercore/other firms) and at least one upgrade have lifted sentiment and trading interest. Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Stock Price Up 2.3% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary — Jim Cramer and others highlight a supply shortage and structural tailwinds from AI and advanced-node spending, supporting a longer-term bullish case. Lam Research (LRCX) Has a Shortage That Can’t Be Met, Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media and analyst previews (Zacks, 24/7 Wall St.) framed expectations ahead of results — helpful for market context but not new fundamentals. Bull of the Day: Lam Research (LRCX)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and volatility concerns — commentary warns that LRCX is at record highs and has a history of sharp corrections; investors should weigh upside vs. PE/volatility risk. Why Record Highs For LRCX Stock May Face A Reality Check In 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical/China exposure — coverage notes that China-related demand or regulatory developments could weigh on the outlook despite AI tailwinds. Lam Research leans on AI tailwinds as China weighs on outlook

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LRCX. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lam Research in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Lam Research in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. 84.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 stock has a market capitalization of $300.92 billion, a PE ratio of 52.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.77. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $183.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.37.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 29.66% and a return on equity of 60.60%. The company had revenue of $5.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 3rd. Lam Research’s payout ratio 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.