Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Trading 1.2% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX)’s share price traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $177.56 and last traded at $177.24. 2,597,429 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 11,790,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.16.

Trending Headlines about Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven equipment demand is being cited as the main catalyst — recent reports say strong AI-related wafer fab orders lifted margins and the company narrative, supporting a multi-quarter revenue/earnings upgrade for Lam. Lam Research (LRCX) Is Up 7.4% After AI-Driven Equipment Demand Lifts Margins And Outlook Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum and institutional research support (including a maintained buy from UBS) have helped lift sentiment and trading activity, contributing to intraday strength. UBS maintains Lam Research (LRCX) buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Options volume and momentum signals spiked alongside analyst upgrades, amplifying short-term upside and helping push the stock to a new 52‑week high. Lam Research Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:LRCX)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets are upgrading the long-term growth thesis — coverage highlights secular AI tailwinds, attractive margins and valuation re-rating potential as reasons to stay long-term bullish. Lam Research (LRCX): Assessing Valuation After AI-Driven Upgrades and Strong Wafer Fab Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data for late December appears unreliable/zero in the feeds; nothing actionable from these figures for now, so short-squeeze risk is unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Delphi Management trimmed its stake (sold 4,149 shares, ~24.9% of its holding), a small institutional sell that could be viewed as a minor negative signal but is unlikely to alter the broader market view given the size. Delphi Management Inc. MA Sells 4,149 Shares of Lam Research Corporation $LRCX

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LRCX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up from $175.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho increased their price target on Lam Research from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $160.00 price objective on Lam Research and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lam Research from $113.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $200.00 target price on Lam Research and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Twenty-six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lam Research has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.21.

Lam Research Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $222.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $157.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.34.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.23 billion. Lam Research had a return on equity of 60.60% and a net margin of 29.66%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. Lam Research has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.250 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 3rd. Lam Research’s payout ratio is 22.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lam Research

In other Lam Research news, insider Ava Harter sold 9,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.47, for a total value of $1,418,804.70. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,942,091.42. This trade represents a 13.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 1,298 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total transaction of $207,667.02. Following the sale, the director owned 1,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,303.48. The trade was a 44.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 102,608 shares of company stock valued at $14,916,496. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lam Research

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Stance Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lam Research in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Lam Research in the second quarter worth $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Lam Research during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 84.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.