Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley set a $211.00 target price on Lam Research in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lam Research from $195.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lam Research has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.33.

Lam Research Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LRCX traded down $5.33 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $223.06. The company had a trading volume of 2,230,717 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,467,394. The firm has a market capitalization of $280.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Lam Research has a fifty-two week low of $56.32 and a fifty-two week high of $236.10.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lam Research will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Lam Research news, insider Ava Harter sold 9,010 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 56,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,942,091.42. The trade was a 13.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 1,298 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,303.48. The trade was a 44.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,418 shares of company stock worth $7,667,305. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lam Research

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,894,585,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Lam Research by 781.3% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,340,865 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,518,542,000 after buying an additional 10,053,978 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 5,102,589 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Lam Research by 18.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 21,182,948 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,836,397,000 after acquiring an additional 3,263,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Lam Research by 34.1% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,594,574 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,029,210,000 after acquiring an additional 2,692,189 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

More Lam Research News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded LRCX from “hold” to “strong-buy,” a direct buy-side catalyst that can attract momentum flows and retail attention. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added LRCX to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum list, which tends to increase short-term buying interest from quant and momentum strategies. Zacks Momentum List
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst notes (Benzinga roundup) and a headline suggesting a potential ~17% rally have fueled bullish expectations and higher price targets. Benzinga Analyst Roundup
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary (Zacks) highlights LRCX outperforming the broader market, reinforcing the narrative of outperformance into earnings. Zacks Outperformance Note
• Positive Sentiment: Industry analysis (Seeking Alpha) argues Lam benefits as chip architectures evolve (“chips go vertical”), supporting a longer-term growth thesis tied to equipment demand. Seeking Alpha Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer called Lam “the best of the best,” a high-profile endorsement, but he cautioned against buying parabolic moves — a mixed signal that can increase volatility. MSN / Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Lam is expected to report earnings soon (scheduling/expectations are being watched), a near-term event that typically drives directional moves on guidance. Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns after an ~176% one‑year run prompted an article asking whether it’s too late to buy; that narrative supports profit-taking and can pressure the stock near a peak. Yahoo Valuation Piece

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.