Erste Group Bank Expects Stronger Earnings for Lam Research

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for Lam Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now forecasts that the semiconductor company will earn $5.66 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $5.31. Erste Group Bank currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Lam Research's current full-year earnings is $5.65 per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $265.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Citic Securities increased their price target on shares of Lam Research from $165.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Lam Research from $295.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price target (up from $300.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Twenty-six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.94.

Lam Research Stock Performance

Shares of LRCX opened at $251.37 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.54. The company has a market capitalization of $314.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.43, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.78. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $235.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $200.31. Lam Research has a 1 year low of $68.53 and a 1 year high of $275.84.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $5.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.70 billion. Lam Research had a net margin of 30.94% and a return on equity of 66.21%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. Lam Research has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS.

Lam Research Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Lam Research's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.62%.

Insider Transactions at Lam Research

In other news, insider Ava Harter sold 6,010 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.66, for a total value of $1,554,546.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 53,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,762,005.30. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total transaction of $7,896,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 253,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,235,848. The trade was a 12.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 136,896 shares of company stock valued at $31,213,349 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lam Research

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LRCX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Lam Research by 1,032.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,189 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 12,936 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Lam Research during the 1st quarter valued at $239,000. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Lam Research during the 2nd quarter valued at $253,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lam Research by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 100,528 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lam Research by 5,206.7% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 796 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. 84.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets continue to highlight strong fundamentals and momentum for LRCX—Zacks pieces call out earnings growth, price strength and momentum appeal, supporting longer‑term demand thesis tied to AI and memory ramps. Earnings Growth & Price Strength Make LRCX a Stock to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Broker price targets were raised by some firms (New Street raised its target to $280; another report shows a jump to ~$310), signaling continued upside expectations from sell‑side analysts and supporting medium‑term upside. New Street Adjusts Price Target to $280 Price Target Increased to 310.72
• Neutral Sentiment: Mainstream coverage is mixed on whether the stock is a buy right now despite bullish analyst commentary—some stories caution that aggregate broker recommendations can be overly optimistic, suggesting investor caution on near‑term timing. Is LRCX a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Negative Sentiment: An insider (Ava Harter) sold ~6,010 shares (SEC Form 4 filed), reducing her stake; insider selling can raise short‑term concern among investors even when the amount is relatively modest versus total float. SEC Filing — Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Sector‑wide profit taking and renewed US‑China geopolitical friction around AI tech weighed on semiconductors today, triggering a pullback after last week’s rally and pressuring LRCX along with peers. Semiconductor Pullback After Geopolitical Tensions

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.

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