Norges Bank Invests $3.65 Billion in Lam Research Corporation $LRCX

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new stake in Lam Research, buying 21.3 million shares valued at about $3.65 billion and owning roughly 1.71% of the company.
• Lam Research continues to draw broad institutional and analyst support, with 84.61% of shares held by institutions and Wall Street giving it a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $295.07 price target.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share payable July 8.

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 21,295,871 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $3,645,427,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.71% of Lam Research as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lam Research by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank boosted its position in Lam Research by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 4,615 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Lam Research by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC grew its holdings in Lam Research by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,518 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 84.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on LRCX shares. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Lam Research from $221.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Lam Research from $175.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lam Research and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Lam Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Twenty-seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lam Research currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $295.07.

Insider Activity at Lam Research

In related news, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 1,081,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $242,334,371.15. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ava Harter sold 6,010 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.66, for a total transaction of $1,554,546.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 53,205 shares in the company, valued at $13,762,005.30. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 120,066 shares of company stock valued at $27,953,242. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lam Research Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LRCX opened at $318.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.54. Lam Research Corporation has a 52-week low of $79.49 and a 52-week high of $333.33. The firm has a market cap of $397.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.03, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.81. The business's fifty day moving average is $263.88 and its 200-day moving average is $220.80.

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

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 17th. Lam Research's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.62%.

Lam Research News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lam Research hit a new 12-month high, reinforcing strong momentum in the shares and signaling continued investor demand for semiconductor equipment stocks.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho Securities reiterated its Buy rating on Lam Research, which supports the stock’s bullish trading tone.
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity showed unusually heavy interest in Lam Research, with investors reportedly favoring short put positions, a sign some traders expect the stock to hold up or rise further.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader semiconductor commentary remained constructive, as Applied Materials’ CEO said AI-driven demand is creating the strongest period ever for the chip equipment industry, a favorable backdrop for Lam Research.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles noted Lam Research’s strong technical run and high valuation, suggesting momentum is powerful but the stock may be vulnerable to volatility if expectations cool.
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary questioned whether the semiconductor rally is getting ahead of fundamentals, warning that chip stocks could face a pullback if the current “supercycle” narrative weakens.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LRCX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.