Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-two research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $361.8067.

Several research firms recently issued reports on LRCX. Weiss Ratings lowered Lam Research from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 target price (up from $275.00) on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Lam Research from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Wednesday.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry forecasts remain favorable for Lam Research. Global wafer-fabrication-equipment spending is expected to rise 16.9% to $135.2 billion in 2026, while stronger DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth-memory investment tied to artificial-intelligence infrastructure could particularly benefit Lam’s memory-focused equipment business. 3 Chip Equipment Stocks Set to Win the Memory Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Lam Research returned approximately $5.12 billion to shareholders in fiscal 2026 through share repurchases and dividends. Its 27% dividend increase, strong earnings growth and wide competitive moat provide longer-term support for the stock. Lam Research Returns $5B+ to Shareholders in FY26
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded consensus expectations, with earnings of $1.82 per share and revenue of $6.72 billion. Revenue increased 30% year over year, and management’s fiscal first-quarter 2027 earnings guidance indicates continued growth potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lam Research’s presentation at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference may provide investors with additional commentary on memory demand, artificial-intelligence-related capacity expansion and the equipment cycle, but no major new financial announcement was reported.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was zero shares with zero days to cover. The figures appear potentially unreliable and do not indicate meaningful short-selling pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Bethany Mayer sold 9,557 shares for about $3.0 million, reducing her direct ownership by 31.28%. Although one insider sale does not establish a fundamental problem, it may weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: The recent decline has pushed LRCX below its 50-day moving average of approximately $314.44, while its price-to-earnings ratio near 52 leaves the stock vulnerable to profit-taking when semiconductor or macroeconomic sentiment weakens.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ava Harter sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.46, for a total transaction of $1,512,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 42,462 shares in the company, valued at $12,843,056.52. The trade was a 10.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 9,557 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.74, for a total value of $3,007,970.18. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,607,966.30. The trade was a 31.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 32,839 shares of company stock valued at $10,644,740 over the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lam Research

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LRCX. Bayban bought a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lam Research by 242.9% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Paladin Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lam Research during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 84.61% of the company’s stock.

Lam Research Stock Performance

NASDAQ LRCX opened at $298.22 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $313.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.82. Lam Research has a 12-month low of $115.88 and a 12-month high of $438.50. The firm has a market cap of $373.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.77, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The semiconductor company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.13. Lam Research had a return on equity of 67.60% and a net margin of 31.27%.The firm had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 30.0% on a year-over-year basis. Lam Research has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.000-2.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lam Research will post 9.33 EPS for the current year.

Lam Research Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 23rd. This is a boost from Lam Research’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Lam Research’s payout ratio is 18.06%.

About Lam Research

Lam Research Corporation is a semiconductor equipment company that develops and manufactures systems used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Its equipment supports key wafer-processing steps, including deposition, etch, wafer cleaning, and related processes used to create and connect the microscopic features found on semiconductor devices.

The company serves semiconductor manufacturers producing a range of products, including memory, logic, and specialty chips. In addition to manufacturing equipment, Lam Research provides installation, maintenance, spare parts, upgrades, technical support, and other services intended to help customers operate and improve their fabrication facilities.

Founded in 1980, Lam Research is headquartered in Fremont, California, and serves customers through a global network of offices, engineering facilities, and support operations.