Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Lam Research hit a new 52‑week high after Susquehanna raised its price target to $350 (from $325) and kept a "positive" rating, pushing shares up to about $258.44 intraday.
• Fundamentals and analyst support are driving momentum: the company beat Q results (EPS $1.27 vs. $1.17 est.; revenue $5.34B, +22.1% Y/Y), guided Q3 EPS of $1.25–1.45, and has 27 Buy vs. 8 Hold ratings with an average price target near $246.32.
• Sentiment caveat — insider selling: insiders have sold roughly 130,886 shares (~$29.66M) in the last 90 days, even as institutional ownership remains high (about 84.6%).

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after Susquehanna raised their price target on the stock from $325.00 to $350.00. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the stock. Lam Research traded as high as $258.44 and last traded at $256.8430, with a volume of 5127075 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $246.49.

LRCX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citic Securities upped their price objective on Lam Research from $165.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. New Street Research upped their price objective on Lam Research from $140.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $175.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Twenty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lam Research currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $246.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ava Harter sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.66, for a total value of $333,990.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 53,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,846,625.30. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total transaction of $7,896,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 253,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,235,848. The trade was a 12.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 130,886 shares of company stock valued at $29,658,802 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $350 and kept a "positive" rating — a sizable upside vs. the current price, which likely reinforced buy-side interest. Susquehanna Adjusts Price Target on Lam Research to $350
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst upgrades and bullish research notes (including Morgan Stanley coverage and other upgrades) are driving incremental buy-side flows and price momentum. Lam Research Trading Higher on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted AI-driven demand and strong operational performance at the Cantor Fitzgerald conference; investors see durable secular tailwinds in AI chip investment that support revenue prospects. What Lam Research Highlighted at Cantor Fitzgerald Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Sector/market rally (Nasdaq led) after geopolitical easing lifted semiconductors broadly, helping semiconductor-equipment names like LRCX. Nasdaq Leads Strong Wall Street Rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings and guidance (Q2 revenue beat, raised Q3 EPS range) underpin enthusiasm, but analysts and investors are actively re‑pricing valuation — some coverage focuses on whether the rally has priced in too much near-term growth. Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum and “is it too late?” commentary are prompting profit-taking debate; this keeps volatility higher even as the secular case remains intact. Is It Too Late To Consider Lam Research?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded LRCX from "strong-buy" to "hold," which can pressure shorter-term momentum traders and reduce conviction among some retail/institutional buyers. Zacks Downgrades Lam Research
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling activity has been reported (multiple executives selling over the past six months), a potential negative signal for sentiment even if sales are for diversification/liquidity. Quiver Quantitative on LRCX

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lam Research

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LRCX. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Lam Research by 590.7% in the third quarter. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH now owns 59,555 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $7,974,000 after buying an additional 50,933 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in Lam Research by 52.0% in the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 262,544 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $34,417,000 after buying an additional 89,856 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in Lam Research by 8.0% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 140,433 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $18,804,000 after buying an additional 10,408 shares in the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Lam Research by 115.2% in the third quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 22,198 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,972,000 after buying an additional 11,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in Lam Research by 30.9% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 144,656 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $19,369,000 after buying an additional 34,147 shares in the last quarter. 84.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lam Research Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The company has a market capitalization of $320.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.56, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $226.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.54.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.10. Lam Research had a return on equity of 62.81% and a net margin of 30.22%.The business had revenue of $5.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Lam Research has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.450 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lam Research Corporation will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Lam Research Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Lam Research's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.31%.

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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