Lam Research Corporation $LRCX Stake Lifted by Empire Life Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Empire Life Investments boosted its Lam Research stake by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 319,892 shares worth about $54.8 million. Lam Research is now the fund’s sixth-largest holding.
• Lam Research reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $1.47 per share and revenue of $5.84 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates. Revenue rose 23.8% year over year, and the company issued Q4 2026 EPS guidance of 1.50 to 1.80.
• Despite the upbeat fundamentals, the stock was down 2.3% in recent trading, and insiders have been selling shares, including CFO Douglas R. Bettinger and SVP Neil J. Fernandes. Analysts remain constructive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $291.75.

Empire Life Investments Inc. increased its stake in Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 319,892 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,385 shares during the period. Lam Research makes up 3.1% of Empire Life Investments Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Empire Life Investments Inc.'s holdings in Lam Research were worth $54,759,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Lam Research during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lam Research in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 84.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lam Research

In other news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.03, for a total value of $11,214,269.71. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1,081,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $242,334,371.15. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Neil J. Fernandes sold 18,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.14, for a total transaction of $4,635,893.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 66,129 shares in the company, valued at $16,872,153.06. The trade was a 21.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 120,066 shares of company stock valued at $27,953,242. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Lam Research Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of Lam Research stock opened at $289.24 on Wednesday. Lam Research Corporation has a 1-year low of $79.49 and a 1-year high of $300.00. The company has a market capitalization of $361.72 billion, a PE ratio of 54.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $242.07 and a 200-day moving average of $208.13.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $5.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.70 billion. Lam Research had a return on equity of 66.21% and a net margin of 30.94%.Lam Research's revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Lam Research has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Lam Research from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $175.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Lam Research from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Lam Research from $295.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twenty-six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $291.75.

More Lam Research News

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

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley raised its price target on Lam Research to $375 from $350 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling further upside as analysts see strong execution and demand momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $300 target, citing Lam Research’s favorable positioning as wafer fabrication investment strengthens.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted Lam Research’s gross margin nearing 50%, with guidance implying about 50.5%, suggesting strong pricing power and efficient operations amid AI-related demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage around the memory-chip shortage noted that tighter supply is pushing customers to invest more in equipment and infrastructure, which could support orders for Lam Research tools.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also pointed to rising AI infrastructure spending, advanced packaging demand, and foundry expansion as broader tailwinds for semiconductor equipment names like LRCX.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lam Research has also been featured in several valuation and “top stock” pieces, reinforcing positive sentiment but not adding new company-specific fundamentals.

Lam Research 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.

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